Parish Councils beat vandals with plastic

Parish councils across the country are beating vandals thanks to a new range of superstrong street furniture developed by a West Yorkshire plastics recycling company.

Sustainable Options, which is based in Riverside Place, Leeds, developed the bench, bin and table from recycled plastic in response to rising complaints from local authorities, that traditional wooden furniture was not robust enough to meet the challenges of modern life.

But what was originally intended for public areas like parks and large municipal open spaces, has also scored a hit with smaller parish councils across the country, who have been snapping up the recycled plastic furniture at a phenomenal rate.

“We only launched the range two months ago,” said Sustainable Options'' Marketing Manager, Jo Dell, “and we are really pleased with demand. Twelve parish councils from as far afield as Kent, Devon and the Scottish Highlands have been taking delivery of our furniture and the phones have never stopped ringing.”

The heavy equipment, much sturdier than wood when in place, is rot proof, rust proof, chemical proof and vandal proof - graffiti just wipes off the recycled plastic benches and tables − making it perfect for dozens of environments.

“Some parish councils told us that many wooden benches in local beauty spots had been covered in graffiti or carved with initials by young people or even set fire to. They wanted something far more robust and, because recycled plastic lasts five times longer than wood, we have given them a cost-effective solution.

“Parish councils are a real niche market and, clearly, councillors and clerks talk to each other, so word about our products at www.sustainableoptions.co.uk has spread, boosting orders at our Riverside factory where activity has been brisk.

“Our ''urban bench'' has been particularly popular because of its brown and green colourings, and early reports are that it fits the village environment perfectly, which is music to our ears!,” said Jo.

Sustainable Options'' is part of Barkston Plastics and its products are now used in a variety of ways including plastic fencing for heavily waterlogged environments − the Environment Agency is one of its customers − and even funky furniture.