The City of Berkeley (CA) has a policy restricting the use of tropical hardwoods. As one of the alternatives for the use of tropical hardwoods, they utilize composite plastic wood for some of their park benches and picnic tables. Staff mentioned they seemed to be more graffiti resistant and if they get burned, scraped or carved into, they could get replacement pieces. However, staff mentioned in a hot climate, their contractors advised it could expand greatly in the heat and tend to warp. They also mentioned it could get extremely hot in direct sunlight.

At the City of Miami Beach, the use of recycled plastic lumber has been limited to decks and outdoor furnishings, so staff has not had a lot of experience with the material operationally. Pros and cons should be considered, as presented within the table below:

In terms of costs, recycled plastic lumber is usually more expensive than regular lumber. When compared with regular (non-certified) tropical hardwood, such as Ipe, recycled plastic lumber is also more expensive (Attachment A). However, when maintenance costs, replacement costs, installation costs, and disposal costs are taken into consideration, there could be savings for the use of recycled plastic wood despite its higher upfront cost.

If considering purchasing certified sustainably harvested Ipe instead, the costs increases by 10% to 25% when compared to non-certified Ipe. When comparing certified sustainably harvested Ipe with recycled plastic wood, the costs vary a lot depending on their functional use; they can have the same price or certified sustainably harvested Ipe can be up to 30% more expensive. When purchasing certified sustainably harvested Ipe, it should be from a recognized program, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). These programs provide certifications for sustainable wood harvesting by auditing the supply chain, and considering if it practices fiscal responsibility, provides equity, and environmental stewardship. The third-party verification validates forest management practices using a set of standards and assists end users in identifying wood that has been sustainability harvested throughout the supply chain. In order to combat illegal logging, it is fundamental to encourage legal and sustainable forest management and transparent trade in forest products, across supply chains. In addition, it is essential for consumers to make responsible purchasing choices and shift the demand for legal and sustainable forest products.

Although recycled plastic wood may present some benefits and better long-term pricing when compared to certified tropical hardwoods, such as Ipe, there are a plenty of cons and factors that should be considered, as presented in Table 1. The primary concern over the use of specific types of tropical hardwoods, such as Ipe, is their known danger to cause substantial deforestation and inducing illegal harvesting. These are real and proven harmful effects that should be targeted by considering the benefits of procuring sustainably sourced wood products. On the other hand, recycled plastic wood may be more durable and make good use of recycled plastics, it is considered more carbon-intensive, has low recyclability, and its functionality and suitability is highly dependent on their shape and size. In addition, potential plastic debris and microplastics (from the use of these materials) should be of concern for harmful environmental effects.