2000 Buy-Recycled Series

Park and Recreation Products

United States 

Environmental Protection 

Agency

EPA530-F-00-014

April 2000

www.epa.gov/cpg

Solid Waste

and Emergency Response

(5306W)

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.

2Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.

1EPA

EcoPurchasing means

considering attributes 

such as

❖

recycled content

toxicity

reusability

durability

repairability

❖

before you buy 

a product.
The CPG

requires

federal

agencies to

buy items

made from

recovered

materials.

What Is The CPG?

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 environmentally 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 recycledcontent item does not meet an agency’s

reasonable performance specifications.
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. 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 recommend 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 “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.

How Do I Purchase Recycled-Content Park & Recreation Products?

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. 
1 EPA’s 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

BOF 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.

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 90–100% (postconsumer)/100% (total)

—Plastic Composites 50–100% (postconsumer)/100% (total)

—Aluminum 25% (postconsumer)

—Concrete 15–40% (total)

—Steel4 16% (postconsumer)/25–30% (total)

67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)

Plastic Fencing for Specified Uses5 60–100% (postconsumer)/90–100% (total)

Playground Equipment

—Plastic3 90–100% (postconsumer)/100% (total)

—Plastic Composites 50–75% (postconsumer)/95–100% (total)

—Steel4 16% (postconsumer)/25–30% (total)

67% (postconsumer)/100% (total)

—Aluminum 25% (postconsumer)/25% (total)

Playground Surfaces:

—Plastic or Rubber 90–100% (postconsumer)

Running Tracks:

—Plastic or Rubber 90–100% (postconsumer)
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

<www.epa.gov/cpg>. 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). Longdistance 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 manufacturers 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 <www.epa.gov/oppt/epp>.

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 Internetbased online ordering system, to order any GSA product at

<www.fss.gsa.gov/cgi-bin/advwel>.

— 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 <fcn.state.fl.us/bpsr/drc_notice.html>.

❖ 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 <www.ofee.gov/html/guide/html>.

❖ 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: 315 471-3258.

❖ 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 <www.plasticsresource.com>.

❖ 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.

How Can I Get More Information? 
How Can I Get More Information? (Continued)

Internet Sites

Government Sites

❖ The Comprehensive Procurement

Guidelines: <www.epa.gov/cpg>. 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):

<www.epa.gov/oppt/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:

<www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm>. The Federal

Trade Commission issued Guides for the Use of

Environmental Marketing Claims in May 1998.

❖ The Fedmarket Procurement Assistance Jumpstation:

<www.fedmarket.com/sales_resources/bids/federal.html>. This

site contains links to many sites containing procurement

information.

❖ Jobs Through Recycling: <www.epa.gov/jtr>. 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:

<www.metrokc.gov/oppis/recyclea.html>. This site describes

the tools and techniques developed by King County,

Washington, agencies for purchasing recycled products.

❖ Municipal Solid Waste: <www.epa.gov/msw>. 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: <www.epa.gov/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 recycledcontent products, prevent waste, and recycle solid waste

materials.

Product Information

❖ Recycling Data Network Information Services:

<www.epa.gov/cpg/links.htm>. This commercial Web site

provides access, on a subscription basis, to a recycledcontent 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:

<www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP>. 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 convertors 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.

1EPA

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

(5306W)

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Washington, DC 20460

Official Business 

Penalty for Private Use $300