PLEASE NOTE: These bulletins, published since 1997, are historical. The content is not updated.
The King County Traffic/Sign Shop, in the Roads Division of the Department of Transportation, has set up a new recycling program for damaged aluminum signs. The sign refurbishing program is using a relatively new high pressure water process to remove laminate from signs, called hydrostripping. The County established a contract for this service in 2001. The City of Seattle is using these services for their signs too, and both the City and the County expect this new process to offer significant savings.
Hydrostripping is an alternative to sandblasting (or other processes of grinding off the laminates). The process does not damage the sign blanks or affect the integrity of the aluminum. It uses water pressurized to 36,000 pounds per square inch (psi) to strip laminates from their underlying blanks and particles of laminate blasted from the sign are then drawn by vacuum to a container for proper disposal. There are no chemicals or abrasives used, and analysis of solids allows for safe, non-hazardous disposal.
Using this refurbishing service is saving the County money. According to the Sign and Marking Supervisor: "It costs approximately 1/2 as much to refurbish the sign as it does to purchase new aluminum sign blanks."
Environmental Purchasing Program
The King County Environmental Purchasing Program assists County agencies in implementation of King County Executive Policy CON-7-1-2, which requires agencies to use recycled and other environmentally preferable products wherever practicable.
The program assembles information about these products and makes it available to specific agency users who can evaluate them and develop applications in County projects.
These environmental purchasing bulletins contain information about the results of product evaluations and other accomplishments of County agencies. We hope this information will help you find ways to use recycled materials in the work of your agency and that you will contact us if we can help you with further information or if you have suggestions.
Environmental Purchasing Program King County Procurement Services Division
Published: December 19, 2001
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Bulletin List
Updated: December 19, 2001
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