Plastic Lumber-Kingdome

King County Environmental Purchasing Program

King County
Recycled Product Experience:

Recycled Plastic Lumber Application at the Kingdome

Product and recycled content	Plastic lumber 100% recycled commingled plastic
Application	The plastic lumber was used to replace treated wood channel boards that are used to hold down the astroturf in a trench.
Location/Date	Kingdome arena floor December, 1993 (initial)
Project manager/user	Tony Guerrero (former Maintenance Superintendent) Stadium Administration
Architect/Engineer	None
General Contractor	None
Background, history	Treated wood swells up, gets stuck in the trenches, and breaks when pried out. Plastic wood doesn't retain water, swell, rot or break.
Performance	Great, 97% of maintenance time is saved using recycled plastic.
Source of material	KEPT, Inc (no longer in business) Oregon City, OR
Quantity	214 - 4" x 4" x 8' boards (3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 8' = 1712 linear feet)
Cost	214 @ 16.91 each = $3618.74
Cost savings or increase	Saves 160 maintenance hours/year (160 hours x $22/hour = $3520) Saves the cost of replacement wood = $1600/year Total savings = $5120/year
Installation, costs/savings	No initial difference in installation costs. Removal of channel boards takes less time, because they don't swell like treated wood and are easy to remove.
Source of extra funds	None
Would you buy this product again?	Yes.
Why or why not?	Because the plastic doesn't break, swell, rot and it slips out of channel easily when pried.
Comments	The idea to use recycled plastic channel boards was adopted by two other stadia: The Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota and B.C. Place in Vancouver B.C. Plastic pads were purchased to go under our seating sections, which sit outside six months of the year. All the weight of the seat is on the four seat pads. Standing water rots the treated wood. Plastic pads don't rot and the seats slide easily into place.

Specifications:

Plastic lumber contract provisions - Stadium Administration
Technical Specifications
A. General

1. The plastic lumber shall be new and of the latest model design of a company regularly manufacturing such a material.

2. Freight. For bid purposes: FOB delivered to the Kingdome, 201 S. King Street, Seattle WA 98104-2832.

3. Recycled Content: 75% minimum recycled content overall; 50% post-consumer material. The lumber should be 100% plastic profiles of HDPE, LDPE and PP. The material should have no discernable contaminants such as paper, foil or wood.

4. Appearance: The lumber should be free of splinters and generally smooth to the touch.

5. Color: All lumber should be colored grey with a UV inhibitor. The color of each piece should be generally consistent with the others.

6. Density: Material shall contain no more than 3% air voids.

7. Actual Dimensions: 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 8'

8. Quantity Needed: 214 ea @ 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 8' = Total length 1712 feet

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Updated: August 12, 1998

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King County Environmental Purchasing Program

King County Recycled Product Experience:

Recycled Plastic Lumber Application at the Kingdome

Specifications:

King County
Recycled Product Experience: