United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
2000 Buy-Recycled Series
Park and Recreation Products
MRK& RECREATION
EcoPurchasing means
considering attributes
such as
"•»*
recycled content
toxicity
reusability
durability
repairability
-*.
"•»"
before you buy
a product.
Want to go the extra mile for your
community? Buying recycled-content
playground equipment and other
recreational products is cost-effective, easy to
do, and a good way to keep our outdoors green.
The same goes for your community's beaches.
You can protect your sand dunes using plastic
fencing made from recovered plastics, an easy
and long-lasting solution for your shoreline.
To make it easier to buy recycled, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) updates the Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines (CPG) every 2 years. Through the CPG, EPA designates
items that must contain recycled materials when purchased by
federal, state, and local agencies, or by government contractors,
using appropriated federal funds. Among these items, EPA has
designated several park and recreation products. EPA's research
shows that the items designated in the CPG are of high quality,
widely available, and cost-competitive with virgin products. EPA
also issues a nonregulatory companion piece—the Recovered
Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN)—that recommends levels of
recycled-content for those items.
If you specify or purchase park and recreation products, buying
recycled can turn the materials we collect for recycling into
budget-friendly products. Buying recycled isn't just good news for
our parks and recreational areas—it also strengthens the economy
by creating jobs and supporting your local recycling businesses.
> Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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What Is The CPG?
The CPG
requires
federal
agencies to
buy items
made from
recovered
materials.
Recycling is more than just dropping
off your cans, bottles, and
newspapers at the curb or at a local
collection facility. Diverting recyclables
from the waste stream is only the first of
three steps in the recycling process. The
second step occurs when companies use
these recyclables to manufacture new
products. The third step comes when you
purchase products made from recovered
materials. That's how we close the loop.
To support markets for the materials
collected in recycling programs and to
help these programs expand, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act requires
agencies to buy recycled-content products
designated by EPA. In addition, President
Clinton signed Executive Order 13101 in
September 1998, which called for an
increase in the federal government's use of
recycled-content and other environmental-
ly preferable products.
Issued in May 1995, the first CPG
designated 19 new products, including
playground surfaces and running tracks,
and incorporated five previously
designated items in seven product
categories. Procuring agencies are
required to purchase these items with
recycled content. The first CPG update
(CPG II) was published in November
1997, and designated an additional 12
products, including plastic fencing. A
second CPG update (CPG III) was
published in January 2000 and designated
an additional 18 products, including park
benches and picnic tables and
playground equipment.
Procuring agencies include all federal
agencies, and any state or local
government agency or government
contractor that uses appropriated federal
funds to purchase the designated items. If
your agency spends more than $10,000
per year on a product designated in the
CPG, you are required to purchase it with
the highest recycled-content level
practicable. The CPG also applies to lease
contracts covering designated items.
Once designated, an agency has 1 year to
develop an affirmative procurement
program (or revise an existing one) for a
designated item it purchases. By May 1,
1996, agencies were required to develop
affirmative procurement programs to
incorporate buy-recycled requirements for
playground surfaces and running tracks. By
November 13, 1998, agencies were required
to revise their affirmative procurement
program to incorporate plastic fencing.
Agencies also must revise their affirmative
procurement programs to add the items
designated under CPG III by January 19,
2001. This effort might involve reviewing
specifications for those products and
eliminating provisions that pose barriers to
procuring them with recycled content (such
as aesthetic requirements unrelated to
product performance).
The CPG acknowledges, however, that
specific circumstances might arise that
preclude the purchase of products made
with recovered materials. Your agency
may purchase designated items that do
not contain recovered materials it
determines that: 1) the price of a given
designated item made with recovered
materials is unreasonably high, 2) there is
inadequate competition (not enough
sources of supply), 3) unusual and
unreasonable delays would result from
obtaining the item, or 4) the recycled-
content item does not meet an agency's
reasonable performance specifications.
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n
How Do I Purchase Recycled-Content Park & Recreation Products?
EPA also issues guidance in RMANs, which
are designed to make it as easy as possible
to buy the designated items. The RMANs
recommend recycled-content levels to look for
when purchasing park and recreation products, as
shown in the table on the following page. Follow-
ing the RMANs' recommended levels will help
ensure your affirmative procurement program and
standards meet the buy-recycled requirements.
Rather than specifying just one level of recycled
content, the RMANs recommend ranges that
reflect actual market conditions. The recommen-
dations are based on market research identifying
recycled-content products that are commercially
available, are competitively priced, and meet
buyers' quality standards.
Refer to EPA's availability list entitled "Park and
Recreation Products Containing Recovered
Materials" for sources of the designated park and
recreation items. See the last section of this fact
sheet for this and other helpful resources.
CASE STUDY: The White House
In March 1993, President Clinton seized the
concept of recycling and ran with it by
installing a 5-foot-wide, nearly quarter-mile
running track encircling the South Lawn of
the White House. The running track was
resurfaced with 13 tons of material made
from recycled scrap tires (about 13,000 tires),
with material and labor donated to the White
House. Users report that the track provides a
much improved running surface that is safe,
attractive, and requires little maintenance.
For more information, contact the Office of
the Federal Environmental Executive at
202 260-1297.
CASE STUDY: City of West Palm Beach,
Florida
The city of West Palm Beach, Florida,
realized that children and the environment
are its two most important resources. With
this in mind, since 1995 the city has been
purchasing a loose-fill rubber playground
surface made from recycled scrap tires. The
city is extremely satisfied with its
performance and finds it clean, durable, and
cost-effective. The softer material creates an
air cushion that absorbs impact, which
reduces the risk of injuries. Due to its
resilience and low maintenance
requirements, the city predicts that it won't
have to be replaced as often as mulch or
sand. In fact, the durability of the material
was tested several years ago when a
hurricane hit the area, bringing torrential
rains and 125 mile-per-hour winds. Despite
these extreme conditions, the surface suffered
no damage. For more information, contact
Robert Mitch of the city of West Palm Beach
at 561 659-8044.
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How Do I Purchase Recycled-Content Park & Recreation Products? (Continued)
EPA's Recommended Content Levels for Park & Recreation Products
Park & Recreation Product1 Recovered Material Content2
Park Benches & Picnic Tables:
—Plastic3
—Plastic Composites
—Aluminum
—Concrete
—Steel4
Plastic Fencing for Specified Uses5
Playground Equipment
—Plastic3
—Plastic Composites
—Steel4
—Aluminum
Playground Surfaces:
—Plastic or Rubber
Running Tracks:
—Plastic or Rubber
90-100% (postconsumer)/100% (total]
50-100% (postconsumer)/100% (total]
25% (postconsumer]
15-40% (total)
16% (postconsumer)/25-30% (total)
67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
60-100% (postconsumer)/90-100% (total)
90-100% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
50-75% (postconsumer)/95-100% (total)
16% (postconsumer)/25-30% (total)
67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
25% (postconsumer)/25% (total)
90-100% (postconsumer)
90-100% (postconsumer)
1 EPAjs recommendations do not preclude a procuring agency from purchasing these items manufactured from another material.
They simply require that a procuring agency purchase these items made with recovered materials when these items meet
applicable specifications and performance requirements. Federal agency installations of these products must comply with
applicable state or local construction codes, as well as standards set by the Consumer Safety Commission and the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
2 The recommended recovered materials content levels are based on the dry weight of the raw materials, exclusive of any
additives such as adhesives, binders, or coloring agents.
3 "Plastic" includes both single and mixed plastic resins. Park benches and picnic tables made with recovered plastic may also
contain other recovered materials such as sawdust, wood, or fiberglass. The percentage of these materials contained in the
product would also count toward the recovered materials content level of the item.
4 The recommended recovered materials content levels for steel in this table reflect the fact that the designated items can be
made from steel manufactured from either a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) or an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). Steel from the
EOF 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.
5 Designation includes fencing containing recovered plastic for use in controlling snow or sand drifting and as a warning/safety
barrier in construction or other applications.
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How Can I Get More Information?
Information Available
From EPA
This fact sheet and the following publications on
buying recycled-content products are available or
can be accessed in electronic format on the Internet at
. Use Internet e-mail to order paper copies of
documents. Include the requestor's name and mailing address on
all orders. Address e-mail to: rcra-docket@epamail.epa.gov.
Paper copies also may be ordered by calling the RCRA Hotline.
Callers within the Washington Metropolitan Area must dial 703
412-9810 or TDD 703 412-3323 (hearing impaired). Long-
distance callers may call 800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-7672.
The RCRA Hotline operates weekdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m., e.s.t.
* EPA Expands Comprehensive Procurement Guideline
(CPG) (EPA 530-F-00-017). This factsheet provides general
information about the CPG and the development of affirmative
procurement programs.
* Federal Register (FR) notices promulgating CPG I (60 FR
21370/EPA530-Z-95-006) and RMAN I (60 FR *
21386/EPA530-Z-95-007), May 1, 1995. FR notices
promulgating CPG II (62 FR 60961/EPA530-Z-97-009) and
RMAN II (62 FR 60975/EPA530-Z-97-010), November 13,
1997. FR notices promulgating CPG III (65 FR 3070) and
RMAN III (65 FR 3082), January 19, 2000.
* Park and Recreation Products Containing Recovered
Materials (EPA530-B-99-009). This list identifies manufac-
turers and suppliers of playground surfaces, running tracks, «•»
and plastic fencing containing recovered materials. (Each
listing is based on information provided by the manufacturer
and does not constitute an endorsement by EPA.)
* A Study of State and Local Government Procurement
Practices that Consider Environmental Performance of
Goods and Services (EPA742-R-96-007). This report
provides important program elements and case studies of state
and county agencies purchasing environmentally preferable
products and services. For a copy of the report or more
information on EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
(EPP) program, contact the Pollution Prevention Information «•»
Clearinghouse at 401 M Street, SW. (7409), Washington, DC
20460. Phone: 202 260-1023. Fax: 202 260-4659. Visit the
EPP Web site at .
Other Sources of Information *
* Buy Recycled Business Alliance. The
Alliance includes over 3,200 companies and
organizations committed to increasing their use of
recycled-content products and materials in their
day-to-day operations. The Alliance offers educational
materials, a quarterly newsletter, and product-specific guides. *
Public purchasing entities can join for free. For more
information, contact Kevin Barry, National Recycling Coalition,
1727 King Street, Suite 105, Alexandria, VA 22314-2720.
Phone: 703 683-9025, Ext. 210. Fax: 703 683-9026.
Web site: www.nrc-recycle.org
E-mail: brbainfo@nrc-recycle.org
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA
publishes various supply catalogs, guides, and schedules for
recycled-content products available through the Federal
Supply Service. For copies of the following two documents
and other publications, contact GSA, Centralized Mailing List
Service (7CAFL), 4900 Hemphill Street, P.O. Box 6477, Fort
Worth, TX 76115-9939. Phone: 817 334-5215. Fax: 817 334-
5561. You can also access GSA Advantage!, GSA's Internet-
based online ordering system, to order any GSA product at
.
— Park and Outdoor Recreational Equipment, Federal
Supply Schedule Group 78, Part 1, Schedule C,
Classes 7830. Lists a variety of park and recreation
products available for purchase.
— Environmental Products Guide. This guide is designed
to help procurement officials identify environmentally
preferable products and services. It contains nearly 3,000
items, including many recycled-content products.
National Association of State Purchasing Officials
(NASPO). NASPO's Internet-based Database of Recycled
Commodities (DRC) includes information from states on their
recycled product procurement. Data include product
distributors, manufacturers, brand names, recycled and
postconsumer content, "Energy Star" rating, units purchased,
unit of measurement, unit price, and type of procurement. Visit
the NASPO Web site at .
Greening the Government: A Guide to Implementing
Executive Order 12873. This guide provides detailed
information on establishing and implementing federal
affirmative procurement plans. Updated in the summer of
1997, it is available without charge from the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive, Ariel Rios Building, Mail
Code 1600S, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20460. Phone: 202 564-1297. Fax: 202 564-1393.
Web site: www.ofee.gov
You can also download an electronic version on the Internet
at .
Official Recycled Products Guide. This directory lists more
than 5,000 manufacturers and distributors of recycled-content
products. Contact: Recycling Data Management Corporation,
P.O. Box 577, Ogdensburg, NY 13669. Phone: 800 267-0707.
Fax: 315471-3258.
Recycled Plastic Products Source Book. This booklet lists
more than 1,300 plastic products from approximately 300
manufacturers. For more information, call the American
Plastics Council (APC), 1801 K Street, NW., Suite 7010,
Washington, DC 20006. Phone: 202 974-5400. Fax: 202 296-
7119. Visit the APC Web site at .
Recycled Rubber Products Catalog. This catalog lists
products manufactured from recovered rubber and provides
information on how to obtain them. For more information,
contact the Scrap Tire Management Council, 1400 K Street,
NW., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005. Phone: 202 682-
4880. Fax: 202 682-4854.
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How Can I Get More Information? (Continued)
Internet Sites
Government Sites
* The Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines: . This site
describes EPA's effort to facilitate the procurement of
products containing recovered materials, including information
on CPG, RMANs, and the Buy-Recycled Series.
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP):
. EPA's Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing program encourages and assists federal agencies
to purchase environmentally preferable products and
services. The site explains EPA's proposed guiding principles
for including environmental performance in purchasing
decision-making, and posts case studies of successful pilot
projects in both the public and private sectors.
Federal Trade Commission:
. The Federal
Trade Commission issued Guides for the Use of
Environmental Marketing Claims in May 1998.
The Fedmarket Procurement Assistance Jumpstation:
. This
site contains links to many sites containing procurement
information.
Jobs Through Recycling: . EPA's Jobs
Through Recycling program stimulates economic growth and
recycling market development by assisting businesses and
supporting a network of state and regional recycling contacts.
This Web site provides information on financing and technical
assistance for recycling businesses, as well as other market
development tools.
* King County Recycled Product Procurement Program:
. This site describes
the tools and techniques developed by King County,
Washington, agencies for purchasing recycled products.
* Municipal Solid Waste: . This site
includes information on recycling, source reduction, and reuse.
Contains state municipal solid waste data and the latest facts
and figures on waste generation and disposal.
* WasteWise: . WasteWise is a free,
voluntary EPA program through which organizations eliminate
costly municipal solid waste, benefitting their bottom line and
the environment. The program provides hands-on assistance
to members to help them purchase or manufacture recycled-
content products, prevent waste, and recycle solid waste
materials.
Product Information
* Recycling Data Network Information Services:
. This commercial Web site
provides access, on a subscription basis, to a recycled-
content products database of over 4,500 listings in 700
product classifications. It also provides a reference library and
a newsletter. Managed by the publisher of the Official
Recycled Products Guide, the product database is considered
to be the largest of its kind.
* California Recycled-Content Product Database:
. This site contains information on
why to buy recycled-content products, how to procure them,
and provides access to a database with information on
products, as well as manufacturers, distributors, reprocessors,
mills, and converters across the country who procure or
produce these products.
In addition, contact your state solid waste management
agency for information about local and regional businesses
that produce or distribute recycled-content products.
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