How much recycled plastic is in a park bench? Calculations for municipalities

Ecoplank profiles are made of 98% recycled post-industrial polyolefins. Every bench, table or boardwalk built from them gives a second life to plastic that would otherwise be waste – and keeps it in use for years. Below we calculate how much of it goes into typical park objects.

In short: a 1.8 m park bench contains about 41.5 kg of recycled plastic, a picnic table with seats about 122 kg, and one metre of a 1.5 m wide path about 63 kg. A small neighbourhood square adds up to over 3.6 tonnes.

41.5 kgin one park bench with a backrest (1.8 m)
121.7 kgin a picnic table with seats
63.1 kgin 1 metre of a 1.5 m wide path
3.6 tin an example neighbourhood square
Infographic: today’s waste, tomorrow’s bench – from post-production plastic waste through recycling and production to boards and a park bench

1. Example calculations

Profile weights per metre come from the Ecoplank product data. Steel, fasteners and foundations are not included – we count only the recycled plastic.

Park bench made with Ecoplank recycled plastic boards
Park bench with Ecoplank boards

Park bench with backrest, 1.8 m

Seat made of 3 boards, backrest of 2 boards, steel or concrete frame.

ElementQuantityPer metrePlastic
Seat – SQ32x150 board3 × 1.8 = 5.4 m4.61 kg/m24.9 kg
Backrest – SQ32x150 board2 × 1.8 = 3.6 m4.61 kg/m16.6 kg
Total recycled plastic9.0 m41.5 kg

Version with a frame made of the 100×50 structural profile instead of steel: about 66 kg of plastic.

Picnic table made of Ecoplank recycled plastic profiles
Picnic table made of Ecoplank profiles

Picnic table with seats, 1.8 m

Tabletop of 5 boards, two seats of 2 boards each, frame made entirely of the 100×50 profile.

ElementQuantityPer metrePlastic
Tabletop – SQ32x150 board5 × 1.8 = 9.0 m4.61 kg/m41.5 kg
Seats – SQ32x150 board4 × 1.8 = 7.2 m4.61 kg/m33.2 kg
Legs, beams and stretcher – 100×50 profile9.8 m4.80 kg/m47.0 kg
Total recycled plastic26.0 m121.7 kg
Beach boardwalks made of Ecoplank recycled plastic boards
Beach boardwalks, Chrzanów Mały

1 metre of a path or boardwalk, 1.5 m wide

Grooved boards laid crosswise with a 5 mm gap, four joists made of the 100×50 profile.

ElementQuantityPer metrePlastic
Surface – GB32x160 board6.06 × 1.5 = 9.1 m4.83 kg/m43.9 kg
Joists – 100×50 profile4 × 1.0 = 4.0 m4.80 kg/m19.2 kg
Total per metre of path13.1 m63.1 kg

That is about 42 kg per square metre of a jetty, terrace or boardwalk of this design.

2. Calculate your park

Enter what you are planning. The default values show an example neighbourhood square.

Recycled plastic in your objects
Benches
Tables
Path
Jetty / terrace

3. Why it matters for a municipality

Waste instead of virgin raw material

The profiles are 98% recycled post-industrial polyolefins. The remaining 2% is colourant and trace amounts of other plastics.

Documented origin

Certificate of recycled origin (EN 15343), PZH hygienic certificate and strength parameters tested by ITB – ready to attach to the procurement documentation.

An effect residents can see

A small plate with the amount of recycled plastic and a QR code linking to this page shows residents what the object is made of. We can prepare a plate design for your project.

4. Cheaper to maintain than wood

A wooden bench needs painting, impregnation and new boards every year – about PLN 200 per bench. Ecoplank boards need none of that, so their higher purchase price pays back in the second season.

30 benches over 15 years – boards and maintenance

Wooden boardsPLN 97,125
Ecoplank boardsPLN 12,276

Saving: approx. PLN 85,000

5. A bench from the participatory budget

Residents, village heads and housing estate councils can submit such objects to the participatory budget or the village fund. We will help prepare the project description and an indicative cost estimate.

6. How we calculate

Weights per running metre from the Ecoplank product data: GB32x160 board – 4.83 kg/m, SQ32x150 board – 4.61 kg/m, TG32x140 board – 4.30 kg/m, 100×50 structural profile – 4.80 kg/m.

The designs are examples. The actual weight depends on the project – in an offer for a municipality we give it for the specific object.

Technical parameters of the profiles follow the ITB test report and the current technical data sheets.

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Free samples and a contractor price list

Data controller: ECOPLANK P.S.A., ul. Piękna 11/1, Warsaw, Poland. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Details in the Privacy Policy.