Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
2000 Buy-Recycled Series
Transportation Products
TRANSPORTATION
EcoPurchasing means
considering attributes
such as
"•»*
recycled content
toxicity
reusability
durability
repairability
-*.
"•»"
before you buy
a product.
The road is clear for buying recycled-
content products, and many agen-
cies are moving into high gear!
Transportation officials around the country
are reporting that recycled-content safety
cones, traffic barricades, traffic control
devices, and parking stops deliver high per-
formance and cut installation and maintenance costs.
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 feder-
al, state, and local agencies, or by government contractors, using
appropriated federal funds. Several transportation products are among
these items. 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 nonregulatory companion guidance—
the Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN)—that recommends
levels of recycled content for those items.
Whether you're working on a major highway or repairing a local
road, there's one way to ensure a smooth ride—buy recycled! When
you buy recycled, you're doing more than supplying road crews'
needs; you're also helping to support recycling businesses and pro-
tect the environment.
> 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 drop-
ping off your cans, bottles, and
newspapers at the curb or at a
local collection facility. Diverting recy-
clables from the waste stream is only the
first of three steps in the recycling pro-
cess. The second step occurs when com-
panies 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 govern-
ment's use of recycled-content and other
environmentally preferable products.
Issued in May 1995, the first CPG des-
ignated 19 new products, including traffic
cones and barricades, 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 items, including parking stops and
traffic control devices. A second CPG
update (CPG III) was published in January
2000, but did not designate any new
transportation products. This fact sheet
updates the information provided in the
1997 Buy Recycled Series.
Procuring agencies include all federal
agencies, and any state or local govern-
ment 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 procure-
ment program (or revise an existing one)
for a designated item it purchases. By
May 1, 1996, agencies were required to
develop affirmative procurement pro-
grams to incorporate buy-recycled
requirements for traffic cones and barri-
cades. By November 13, 1998, agencies
were required to revise their affirmative
procurement programs to incorporate
parking stops and traffic control devices.
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 if it deter-
mines that: 1) the price of a given desig-
nated item made with recovered materials
is unreasonably high, 2) there is inade-
quate 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 the agency's reasonable perfor-
mance specifications.
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V/A
How Do I Purchase Recycled-Content Transportation Products?
EPA issues purchasing 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 transportation products, as shown in
the chart below. Following 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 recom-
mend ranges that reflect actual market conditions. The recommendations 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 "Transportation Products Containing
Recovered Materials" for sources of the designated transportation items. See the last
section of this fact sheet for this and other helpful resources.
The RMAN
recommends
recycled-
content ranges at
which the
designated items
are generally
available in the
marketplace.
EPA's Recommended Content Levels for Transportation Products
Transportation Products1
Recovered Material Content2
Traffic Cones:
—Plastic (PVC and LDPE)
—Crumb Rubber
50-100%
50-100%
Traffic Barricades (type I and II only):
—Plastic (HDPE, LDPE, PET)
—Steel3
—Fiberglass
80-100% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
16% (postconsumer)/25-30% (total)
67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
100%
Parking Stops:
—Plastic and/or Rubber
—Concrete Containing Coal Fly Ash
—Concrete Containing Ground Granulated
Blast Furnace Slag
100%
Generally, 20 to 30 percent, but could be up to 40 percent.
Fifteen percent when used as a partial cement replacement as an
admixture in concrete.
25-70%
Traffic Control Devices:
—Channelizers:
Plastic
Rubber (base only)
—Delineators:
Plastic
Rubber (base only)
Steel (base only)3
—Flexible Delineators
25-95% (postconsumer)
100% (postconsumer)
25-90% (postconsumer)
100% (postconsumer)
16% (postconsumer)/25-30% (total)
67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)
25—85% (postconsumer)
1 Transportation products containing recovered materials must conform to the Manual on Uniform Highway Traffic Control Devices used by
the Federal Highway Administration, as well as other applicable federal requirements and specifications.
2 Content levels are based on the dry weight of the raw materials, exclusive of any additives such as adhesives, binders, or coloring agents.
3 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 (EOF) 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.
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i
How Do I Purchase Recycled-Content Transportation Products (Continued)
Key Terms
• Channelizers: Channelizers are barrels or drums that direct traffic
around areas of road repair and construction. Street maintenance
agencies and construction contractors use channelizers on con-
struction sites, medians, on/off ramps, mountainous terrain, and
areas where fog and haze are common. Channelizers are designed
and colored to be highly visible and can be constructed from
recovered HDPE and rubber. The bases of the drums are weighted
to provide stability and are often made from used tires.
Delineators: Delineators are temporary pavement mark-
ers that come in many shapes, sizes, and compositions.
They are manufactured primarily from recovered and
postconsumer HDPE. Delineator bases are either steel
stakes that can be driven into the ground or rubber to
support the delineator on the road surface.
• Flexible Delineators: These products come in the form of stakes and are driven
into the ground. The product is flexible enough so that vehicles can strike them
without causing damage to the vehicle or the delineator. They are used at golf
courses, airports, military bases, shopping centers, and recreation areas.
• Parking Stops: Commonly found in parking lots, parking stops are used
to mark parking spaces and keep vehicles from rolling
beyond a designated parking area.
• Traffic Barricades: Traffic barricades are used to redirect or restrict traffic in
areas of highway construction or repair. They are typically made from wood,
steel, plastic, or a combination of these materials. Many manufacturers have
switched to the use of recycled materials in both the supporting frame and rails
of the barricades.
Traffic Cones: Traffic cones are used to mark a road hazard or direct traffic. In general,
both recovered- and postconsumer-content plastics are used in the upper component of
the cones, and crumb rubber and/or plastics are used in the base.
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CASE STUDIES:
Safer, Cheaper, and More Effective Recycled-Content Transportation Products
States Combine Efforts: Traffic Cones
The states of Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin are
combining their resources to buy recycled-content traf-
fic cones. Since 1993, they have bought approximately
50,000 cones per year, mostly for highway construction
along roads and tunnels and for use at airports. In
Kentucky Department of Highways: Flexible Delineators
addition, many cities, counties, and universities across
the United States also purchase these recycled-content
traffic control devices. For more information contact
Ron Wachenheim of the New York Office of General
Services at 518 474-1557.
In 1994, the Kentucky Department of Highways pur-
chased a sample supply of flexible delineators made
from recovered plastic. Based on the delineators'
successful performance, the department has purchased
more than 3,000 flexible delineator posts made from
recovered plastic for a number of projects along
Kentucky's interstate highways. A project on Interstate
Highway 65, for example, used flexible delineator
posts every 500 feet along a 50 mile stretch. According
U.S. Postal Service: Parking Stops
A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Mail Transport
Equipment Warehouse in Henderson, Colorado,
installed six recovered plastic parking stops in 1996.
While USPS had no specifications requiring the use of
recovered materials in this product at the time,
employees were encouraged to buy recycled products
through procurement training and printed promotional
materials. The facility experienced no performance
problems with the 100 percent postconsumer plastic
parking stops, which were purchased from a local
to department officials, the durability of recycled
plastic flexible delineators has reduced replacement
and maintenance costs. The delineators also have
increased traffic safety because they bend on impact,
reducing the chance of damage to vehicles or injury to
their occupants. For more information, contact Janet
Coffee of the Kentucky Department of Highways at
502 564-4556
manufacturer. USPS found maintenance and installa-
tion costs to be lower than those for conventional
concrete stops because of the product's durability and
light weight as well as the fact that it came with
mounting hardware. The facility received the White
House Closing the Circle Award for its success with
waste prevention, recycling, and affirmative procure-
ment of recovered-content products. For more
information, contact Elaine May of USPS at
303 313-5241.
Texas Department of Transportation: Channelizers
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has
used recycled products in highway operations for the
past several years. Based on their experience and field
evaluations, TxDOT is revising their procurement stan-
dards to encourage expanded use of recovered-content
traffic control devices. Currently, TxDOT is using recy-
cled-content channelizers in highway projects across
the state. The channelizers' light weight and flexibility
boosts highway and work zone safety, since less dam-
age is caused when vehicles strike them. The strength
of the channelizers also allows for their long-term use,
saving money and essentially removing these materials
from municipal solid waste. For more information,
contact Greg Brinkmeyer of the TxDOT at 512 416-
3120 or Dan Maupin at 512 416-3128.
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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@epa.gov.
Paper copies also can 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 can call 800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-
7672. The RCRA Hotline operates weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m., e.s.t.
* EPA Expands Comprehensive Procurement Guideline
(CPG) (EPA530-F-00-017).This fact sheet provides general
information about the CPG and the development of affirma-
tive 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 promul-
gating CPG II (62 FR 60961/EPA530-Z-97-009) and RMAN
II (62 FR60975/EPA530-Z-97-010), November 13, 1997.
FR notices promulgating CPG III (65 FR 3070) and RMAN
III (65 FR 3082), January 19, 2000.
* Transportation Products Containing Recovered
Materials (EPA530-B-99-016). This list identifies manufac-
turers and suppliers of traffic cones, barricades, parking
stops, and other traffic control devices 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 pro-
vides 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 opera-
tions. 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/brba/index.htm
E-mail: brbainfo@nrc-recycle.org
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA pub-
lishes various supply catalogs, guides, and schedules for
recycled-content products available through the Federal
Supply Service. For copies of the following documents and
other information, contact GSA, Centralized Mailing List
Service (7CAFL), 4900 Hemphill Street, P.O. Box 6477, Fort
Worth, TX 76115. Phone: 817 334-5215. Fax: 817 334-
5561. You also can access GSA Advantage!, GSAs online
ordering system, to order any GSA product at
.
- Environmental Products Guide. This GSA guide is
designed to help procurement officials identify environ-
mentally preferable products and services. It contains
nearly 3,000 items, including many recycled-content
products.
- New Item Introductory Schedule. This GSA schedule
lists parking stops that contain recovered rubber
materials.
Greening the Government: A Guide to Implementing
Executive Order 12873. This guide provides detailed infor-
mation 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
National Association of Counties (NACo). NACo can pro-
vide sample county procurement ordinances and distributes
buy-recycled information. For more information, contact
Naomi Friedman, Senior Project Manager, Solid Waste and
Pollution Prevention, 440 First Street, NW., Washington, DC
20001. Phone:202 942-4262. Fax: 202 737-0480 or
202 393-2630. Web site: www.naco.org
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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 distribu-
tors, manufacturers, brand names, recycled and postconsumer
content, Energy Start® rating, units purchased, unit of mea-
surement, unit price, and type of procurement. Visit the NASPO
Web site at .
Official Recycled Products Guide. This directory lists more
than 5,000 manufacturers and distributors of recycled-content
products, including those for traffic cones, traffic barricades,
traffic control devices, and parking stops. For more informa-
tion, contact the Recycling Data Management Corporation,
P.O. Box 577, Ogdensburg, NY 13669. Phone: 800 267-0707.
Fax: 315 471-3258.
Recycled Plastic Products Source Book. This booklet lists
more than 1,300 plastic products from approximately 300 man-
ufacturers, including parking stops and traffic control devices.
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 .
Internet Sites
*The Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines: . This site
describes EPA's effort to facilitate the procure-
ment 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 executive agen-
cies to purchase environmentally preferable products and ser-
vices. The site explains EPA's guiding principles for including
environmental performance in purchasing decision-making and
posts case studies of successful pilot projects in both the pub-
lic and private sectors.
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE):
. OFEE's mission is to advocate, coordinate,
and assist environmental efforts of the federal community in
waste prevention, recycling, affirmative procurement of CPG
items, and the acquisition of recycled and environmentally
preferable products and services.
Federal Trade Commission:
. The Federal
Trade Commission issued Guides for the Use of
Environmental Marketing Claims in May 1998.
Jobs Through Recycling: . EPA's Jobs
Through Recycling program stimulates economic growth and
recycling market development by assisting businesses and sup-
porting a network of state and regional recycling contacts. This
Web site provides information on financing and technical assis-
tance for recycling businesses, as well as other market develop-
ment tools.
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 prod-
ucts, as well as manufacturers, distributors, reprocessors,
mills, and convertors across the country.
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 bot-
tom 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.
Recycling Data Network Information Services:
. This commercial Web site pro-
vides access, on a subscription basis, to a recycled-content
products database of over 4,500 listings in 700 product classifi-
cations. 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.
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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