🚀 go-pugleaf

> Is plastic recycling mostly BS?

Plastics, even if they were being dumped in the landfill
are still a better option than paper products.  Plastics represent
about 7-10% of weight in landfill sites (although more by volume)
and are stable, not leeching chemicals into the water table.  In
comparison, paper is 30% of landfill, and the dyes leech out when
exposed to water.

Recycling is limited primarily because the markets are not yet
self-sustaining and rely upon gov't subsidies to operate.
Curbside recycling, although popular, will likely never be
cost-effective.  Markets are still underdeveloped, and sources
of decent recycled plastics (HDPE primarily) are unreliable and
expensive.

> I'm trying to find a white picket fence made of ...

You probably won't find one.  Once waste plastics have gone through the
grinding, melting, and repelletizing process, they all look a dull
grey.  They're usually dyed with strong primary colours to attempt
to make them look attractive again.

> If anybody knows where to find recycled plastic fences, ...
>
I know a company named Superwood was looking at these - they're
scattered around the country.  Also a company in Brantford,
Ontario, Canada named Resource Plastics Corp, a plastics recycling
company, was talking about making these.

Paul Forster
pforster@ics.uci.edu