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Playground Equipment
Slides, swings, climbing equipment, merry-go-rounds, and seesaws are all different types of playground equipment. These items can be made with recovered wood, steel, aluminum, HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, and PP. A typical set of playground equipment made with recovered-content plastic lumber can contain plastic recovered from between 31,500 and 63,000 milk and water jugs.
- Recommended Recovered Materials Content Ranges
- Product Specifications
- Product Information
- Additional Links
Recommended Recovered Materials Content Ranges:
EPA's RMAN recommends recycled content levels for purchasing playground equipment as shown in the table below.
| Material | Postconsumer Content (%) | Total Recovered Materials Content (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Plastics ² | 90-100 | 100 |
| Plastic composites | 50-75 | 95-100 |
| Steel ³ | 16
67 |
25-30
100 |
| Aluminum | 25 | 25 |
²"Plastics" includes both single and mixed plastic resins. Playground equipment made with recovered plastics may also contain other recovered materials such as wood or fiberglass. The percentage of these materials contained in the product would also count toward the recovered materials content level of the item.
³The recommended recovered materials content levels for steel in this table reflect the fact that the designated items can be made from steel manufactured in either a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) or an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). Steel from the BOF process contains 25-30% total recovered materials, of which 16% is postconsumer steel. Steel from the EAF process contains a total of 100% recovered steel, of which 67% is postconsumer.
Product Specifications:
EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the specifications found in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Publication No. 325 (Handbook for Public Playground Safety) and ASTM standard F-1487-95, Safety Performance Specifications for Playground Equipment for Public Use, when procuring playground equipment. Playground equipment may also be subject to state and local codes and standards as well as Federal child safety laws.
EPA also recommends that procuring agencies use the ASTM specifications listed below for playground equipment made from plastic lumber. These test methods are:
- 6108-97 Standard Test Method for Compressive Properties
of Plastic Lumber.
- 6109-97 Standard Test Method for Flexural Properties of
Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastic Lumber.
- 6111-97 Standard Test Method for Bulk Density and
Specific Gravity of Plastic Lumber and Shapes by
Displacement.
- 6112-97 Standard Test Method for Compressive and
Flexural Creep and Creep Rupture of Plastic Lumber and
Shapes.
- 6117-97 Standard Test Method for Mechanical Fasteners in Plastic Lumber and Shapes.
ASTM is working on draft test methods for shear properties.
Product Information:
Database
of Manufacturers and Suppliers
This database identifies manufacturers and suppliers
of playground equipment containing recovered materials.
Additional Links:
2007
Buy-Recycled Series: Park and Recreation Products (6 pp, 100K, About PDF)
This fact sheet highlights park and recreation
products designated in the CPG, including playground
equipment, and includes case studies, recommended
recovered-content levels, and a list of resources.
Technical
Background Document (PDF) (215 pp, 381K, About PDF)
This background document includes EPA's product
research on recovered-content playground equipment, as well
as a more detailed overview of the history and regulatory
requirements of the CPG process.
