That's an excellent and very important question! It gets right to the heart of what makes recycled products truly sustainable. The short answer is: the highest-quality and most environmentally responsible recycled plastic benches are made primarily from post-consumer waste.
Let me break down the difference. Post-consumer waste refers to plastic items that have completed their lifecycle with a consumer—think empty milk jugs, detergent bottles, shampoo containers, and plastic bags that you toss into your recycling bin. Diverting this material from landfills or incinerators is a direct win for the planet. Benches made from this source give a second life to plastics that would otherwise become pollution.
On the other hand, post-industrial (or pre-consumer) waste is the scrap generated during the manufacturing process—trimming, off-cuts, and misruns from factories. While recycling this material is certainly better than discarding it, it hasn't truly "saved" something from the consumer waste stream.
Our commitment is to use the highest possible percentage of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. Why? Because it creates a genuine circular economy. We're not just managing industrial efficiency; we're actively cleaning up the environment. Every bench represents thousands of plastic containers rescued from oceans and landfills. The plastic is cleaned, shredded, and transformed into durable, low-maintenance lumber that withstands weather and heavy use for decades.
So, when you choose a bench made from post-consumer waste, you're not just buying furniture. You're investing in a cleaner ecosystem and supporting a market for recycled materials, encouraging more communities to recycle. It's a full-circle solution for a greener public space.