Tag Archive for: facility

What Makes HDPE Sustainable?

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As a facility manager, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of choosing a sustainable material like HDPE for your next project. Utilizing sustainable building materials like HDPE not only pushes you closer to LEED certification, but having these types of materials can also lower your maintenance costs. But when it comes to HDPE products, facility managers tend to ask what makes HDPE sustainable?

We’ll gladly show you what makes HDPE sustainable and why you’d benefit greatly by using it in your next renovation or remodel project.

How HDPE Is Sustainable

A variety of factors make HDPE a sustainable material that you can use in your facility, the major ones being the following:

  • HDPE is made from recycled materials.
  • HPDE contains between 25% and 100% pre-consumer material.
  • Not only is HDPE sustainable by being made from recycled materials, but it’s also 100% recyclable.

Given that HDPE is made up of recycled material, it’s GREENGUARD Gold Certified, meaning that it’s an approved material to be used in schools and healthcare facilities. This certification requires stricter criteria, and HDPE makes the cut for its green construction.

Improving Air Quality

One of the biggest advantages that HDPE brings to your facility is through helping your air quality. HDPE is impervious to humidity and moisture, which can be abundant in areas like the restroom or locker rooms. Most plastic and metal partitions or storage compartments located in an environment with constant moisture will not only begin to wear, but they also run the risk of growing mold. Because of HDPE’s solid plastic construction, mold won’t find a way to grow, allowing HDPE to remain unaffected and helping to keep your air quality high.

Low-Cost Maintenance

Another major benefit of HDPE that you can add to the pros column is that it requires little maintenance. Not only does HDPE stand up to the elements, but it’s also a highly durable material. It can take a few hits and bumps and come out pretty much unscathed. Even graffiti doesn’t stand a chance against this solid plastic.

When it comes to maintaining your HDPE materials, you’ll be happy to know that it won’t cost you a lot of time or money. HDPE requires only a light cleaning now and then. The material doesn’t require repainting, which not only saves you more money, but it also won’t have a negative effect on your facility’s air quality due to the harmful VOC emissions.

On top of the lack of serious and involved maintenance, HDPE plastic can last for years, so you won’t be looking at a costly or involved replacement any time soon. HDPE pays for itself within two years due to the lack of costly maintenance and repairs that other materials would require.

Was this post informative for showing you what makes HDPE a sustainable building material? For more information, download Scranton Products’ eBook Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom.

How Strong & Durable Is HDPE?

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Whether you’re looking to renovate your facility’s restroom, or you’re trying to find ways to get your building LEED certified, using HDPE plastic has a variety of benefits. This strong plastic can help make your building more sustainable and eco-friendly; however, some facility managers worry about HDPE’s strength and durability.

The Durability of HDPE

HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is a solid, strong plastic that has many applications when it comes to building materials. Some facility managers aren’t sure that HDPE provides a stronger construct than other plastics, but HDPE has been proven to be one of the more durable plastics on the market, making it a formidable opponent to other plastics that are available.

When compared to other plastics, HDPE has proven itself at providing a strong surface durability. It’s resistant to impacts, and even scratches, which are common when it comes to bathroom partitions and lockers. Over time, when you compare other plastics to HDPE, it won’t be too hard to tell the difference based on their surface scratches or dents.

A Stronger Plastic

A major benefit that HDPE has over other plastics is its quick and easy installation. When installing your restroom partitions, it’s important to know that the material you’re using has strong screw retention. The last thing you need is to have the partitions fall like a house of cards while there’s an occupant inside.

Due to its thick and solid plastic frame, screws will be secure inside HDPE. When we tested SCRC (solid color reinforced composite) against HDPE on screw retention, we saw a major flaw in the former material. When measuring the pull force, not only did HDPE outperform SCRC, but a part of the SCRC’s surface broke off with the screw inside.

Lower Cost Maintenance

Because of HDPE’s strong and durable makeup, it also helps reduce the costs of maintenance. You already know that its surface is resistant to scratches and impact dents, but did you know that it’s also resistant to graffiti? Most plastic surfaces that endure spray paint or permanent marker aren’t easily cleaned. In fact, you’ll need to repaint these surfaces if you want to hide this unwanted piece of “artwork.”

HDPE, on the other hand, doesn’t require an expensive or time-consuming paint job. All this strong plastic needs is a simple cleaning of the surface, and the spray paint will be easily removed. Not only will you save money on paint, and time on the actual painting, but you’ll also help your air quality, thanks to the lack of VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions that you’re putting into the air by painting.

A Quality Choice

You’ve read a lot about HDPE and about how strong and durable it is. But it can also stand up to the elements. If you’re using HDPE in your facility’s restroom, you’ll be happy to know that this material won’t absorb any moisture, resulting in unwanted mold growth. Most other plastics will absorb the moisture, sprout the mold, and require an expensive and time-consuming replacement.

Want to learn more about HDPE and why it’s a good bet for your facility? Check out this eBook, Choosing Bathroom Materials, from your friends at Scranton Products.

Locker Dimensions: Choosing the Right Sized Locker for Your Space

When it’s time to choose lockers for your space, there are a few factors that you need to consider before you go about acquiring the materials. First, you need to figure out how many lockers you actually need based on occupancy. It’s always best to have extra lockers rather than having a few occupants that need to carry around their materials all day. But, you also need to factor in locker dimensions as well as what type of material you’re going to use.

Determining Locker Size, Given the Space & Location

Where do you plan on putting these lockers? Will they be lining a corridor, tucked in a side alcove, or be located in an actual locker room? These are the questions that you need to answer before heading deeper into your locker journey. The important thing is to have big enough lockers to accommodate the students’ or occupants’ items, as well as having enough for each occupant.

When you’ve picked out your designated locker area, you’ll want to be sure of the exact measurements of where you plan on putting these storage compartments. If it’s in a corridor, you can probably get away with the full-length lockers that line the walls. But if you’re planning to put these lockers in an enclosed area, you’ll want to carefully figure out your setup. Using smaller lockers can allow you to maximize the number of lockers; however, it’ll reduce total locker space.

Choosing the Right Locker Materials

While size and dimensions are huge factors when deciding on your lockers, you also need to figure out the material that you’re going to use. Metal lockers have been the traditional choice for many years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re without drawbacks. While metal lockers may seem secure, they can be scratched, dented, spray painted, and even broken into. You’ll want to avoid these issues at all costs.

Some facilities have begun implementing HDPE (high-density polyethylene) lockers, due to the highly durable plastic construction. This solid plastic is resistant to scratches, dents, and graffiti. Because of its solid plastic construction, you can pick any type of lock, which will be securely placed in the material.

Considering Locker Maintenance

If you’re choosing lockers for a specific locker room, you’ll need to keep up with maintenance. Metal lockers are vulnerable to moisture and humidity, which is always present in locker rooms, and they can rust easily. HDPE can stand up to moisture because it won’t rust or absorb the humidity and sprout mold. HDPE is a relatively low cost in terms of maintenance. All you need to do is clean the lockers every once in a while. They’ll stand up to the pressure and the elements.

Want to learn more about why HDPE plastic lockers are the best choice? Download The Ultimate Guide to HDPE Plastic Lockers, from your friends at Scranton Products.