1. What is Replas and what do we offer?
Replas is a company that has been producing a range of over 200 robust products from recycled plastic materials, diverted from domestic and commercial waste streams since 2001. The company was formed with the amalgamation of two of Australia’s most successful recycling companies. Both companies had been developing processing systems for post consumer and post industrial waste throughout the 1990s. Today Replas is leading the way when it comes to development of fit–for–purpose recycled-plastic products such as enduroplanks™, bollards, outdoor furniture, traffic control and signage products.
2. Where does the waste plastic come from?
Replas products are reprocessed from used plastics diverted from landfill. The plastics that we use to manufacture our new products are High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polypropylene (PP); each sourced from a range of post industrial waste and kerbside collection suppliers.
We proudly partner with Australian manufacturers Dulux and Kimberly Clark, allowing them to adopt a closed-loop approach to their manufacturing by accepting their empty paint containers and clean sterile wrap back from customers and hospitals respectively.
We are also working with the Green Bag Company’s RED program, by offering discounted recycled-plastic products to schools that recycle polypropylene homework folders, pencil cases, library bags and art smocks that have come to the end of their useful life.
3. Is it viable to recycle plastic when it is perceived that the energy used to manufacture outweighs the benefit?
That’s a good question. At Replas, we would say ‘yes’, as we believe that the production processes at the Replas production facilities are already clean and energy efficient.
We are currently taking steps to make the plants even more energy efficient by trialing new lighting technology at our R&D plant in Lilydale and installing robots which are capable of working away in the dark. We plan to shortly implement a reporting system at our plants which will accurately capture, analyse and report energy, waste and water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
4. How do you recycle plastic?
Replas products are reprocessed from used plastic products including polypropylene bags, ice cream tubs, opaque plastic bottles, unused disposable nappies, sterile wrap from hospitals and plastic shopping bags which have been diverted from landfill. The waste products are delivered to our manufacturing plant in Ballart in Victoria where they are shredded or granulated then heated to create a ‘sludge’. Colour is added (this pigment is called the master batch) and the mixture is poured into moulds. The resulting solid-plastic products are extremely robust and low maintenance as they will not crack, splinter or rot and never need painting.
5. Where can I go to look at your products?
Each of our offices throughout Australia has a range of our outdoor furniture, signage, traffic control products and Enduroplank™ decking on display. You can also ask your local distributor to tell you where products you are interested in have been installed in your area.
6. Do you offer any services to educate companies about the benefits of choosing recycled-plastic products?
Absolutely. At Replas, we’re passionate about playing our part to work towards a greener and safer world for future generations. We’re more than happy to visit schools, councils, businesses and other organisations to educate and engage the public about the benefits of using recycled-plastic products instead of traditional alternatives. We have a number of tools that we can bring with us, including PowerPoint presentations that can be customised to appeal to your audience. We have a display trailer which we can bring with us to selected locations to enhance our presentations by giving the participants the opportunity to touch and feel our products. You’ll also find us at a number of environmentally-themed trade shows around Australia. Feel free to invite us along to your next event.
7. Why do I need to provide an official purchase order when I want to buy some of your products?
As a general rule, our products are made to order, although we do stock a small quantity of a limited number of items in our warehouse from time to time. That’s why it’s really important that your purchase order is filled out correctly, detailing exactly the quantity, style, colour and size or (sizes) of the items you require.
In the event that you have mistakenly ordered the wrong item or items, we will always endeavour to help you resolve the issue, but can’t guarantee that you will be able to simply return your order without incurring costs. That’s why it’s vital that you provide clear, concise information when you place your order.
8. Can you help me with the installation of your products?
Sure, we can help with any size and type of installation - from building boardwalks to setting up signage. If we don’t have the staff or skills required for your job, we invite our Diamond Alliance Program members (all of whom are experienced independent contractors) to tender for the work.
9. Why do you manufacture your products in Victoria, and not in every state?
As the demand for our products increases, we have plans to expand our manufacturing facilities, into other states. This will not only create jobs across Australia, but will have the added benefit to the environment that we will be able to reduce freight.
10. Can I complete an internship/work experience at one of your factories?
At Replas, we’ve spent many years developing our processing systems for post consumer and post industrial waste to get to the stage where we are leaders in the production of fit-for-purpose recycled products. For this reason, we don’t encourage visitors at our manufacturing facilities.
11. Do Replas products come with a guarantee?
Yes, all Replas products are guaranteed for ten years*. However, given the results of our university studies, whereby the products have undergone simulated environment testing, we believe that our products have a real life expectancy under normal use in excess of 30 years.
*For further information, please read our warranty statement here:
www.replas.com.au/datasheets/warrantystatement
12. Is it possible for Replas to custom make new designs to meet my specific requirements?
Due to current high demand of existing products, creating new moulds is subject to a range of criteria. We are also now updating existing moulds to iron out small imperfections. However, thanks to the new Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) milling machine that Replas has recently invested in, it is much easier to produce moulds for new products in house. We’re always interested in hearing from customers about their specific requirements and looking at opportunities to expand our range. Some criteria will need to be taken into account as part of the discussions, such as whether the product can physically be produced, start up costs and commercially viable volumes, but please talk to us about your design ideas. After all, if you have a particular requirement; it’s possible that other organisations may also have a similar need.
13. Are Replas products flammable?
Replas products will melt in extreme heat (such as bushfire) as they are made of plastic. In bushland settings that are susceptible to fire, recycled-plastic products are a good choice as the melted plastic, while unsightly, will not harm the environment. Treated pine settings on the other hand, may not be as safe as harmful toxic ash, such as copper chrome arsenate (CCA), may be present after fires
14. Will Replas products fade over time?
Because the colour is built in to the products as part of the manufacturing process, Replas products stand up well to harsh environmental conditions, like all outdoor products some weathering may occur over time. The surface may “whiten” slightly due to UV degradation but this does not affect the overall mechanical properties of the material. We encourage you to select either grey or black for your product when you know that it will be installed in an area that has high exposure to UV rays but black should never be used for seating surfaces due to the temperatures it will reach on sunny days.
15. Is it possible to paint Replas products?
Some customers have reported that they’ve been able to successfully paint our products, but we don’t recommend it as not all paints will adhere to the plastic surface of our range.
In fact, we believe that because the colour is built in to our products as part of the manufacturing process, there’s no need to paint (and repaint) them — ever. Much of the Replas range is available in your choice of black, grey, green or blue, so there’s sure to be an option to complement your colour scheme.
16. Can Replas products be damaged by termites?
It’s highly unlikely that termites can bore into installed Replas recycled-plastic products. The Northern Territory Parks & Wildlife Service (which manages more than 90 parks and reserves) replaced a large number of termite-ruined timber bollards with Replas bollards several years ago and these have not been damaged. As a result, the Parks & Wildlife Service has now selected the Replas round bollard as the preferred bollard for the region.
17. Is it possible to purchase fewer than the minimum quantity you specify on the website?
From time to time it may be possible, but only if we have some of the required item already in stock. If we don’t have the product you need in stock, and we receive another order for the same product, we can add your item to the order – therefore getting it to you earlier. Unfortunately, if we need to manufacture your order from scratch, either because we don’t have it in stock or because we don’t have any other orders for it, the stated minimum quantities apply.
18. I’ve noticed that there is sometimes a slight colour variance in the same product from different batches. Why is that?
RPA products are reprocessed from used plastic products including polypropylene bags, ice cream tubs, opaque plastic bottles, sterile wrap from hospitals and plastic shopping bags. These items come in every colour under the sun and we have no control about what we receive at the factory in each delivery. Think of it this way: what you put out in your own recycling bin varies from week to week – sometimes there are more red sauce bottles; other weeks there may be more green laundry detergent bottles. At Replas we add pigments (master batch) to the recycled-plastic mixture , but how the master batch ‘takes’ depends on the blend of colours that they are being mixed into.
19. I’ve noticed that after rain, some of my Replas products (such as the Wharf Fenders) seem to be leaching jelly-like crystals. What is this substance? Is it harmful and will it affect the quality of the product?
The bulk of the plastic waste used in the Replas recycled-plastic range is unused disposable nappies supplied from nappy manufacturers as rejects. The jelly-like crystals that you have noticed leaching from your new product is the by product of a material called Sodium Polyacrylate (SAP) which is used in the manufacture of nappies. SAP is the water-absorbing polymer used in disposable nappies in powder form that turns into a clear gel-like (water holding) substance when wet.
Interesting enough, the plastic recycling process does not change the nature of the SAP now contained in the new product. Once the new product becomes wet (during rainfall), a chemical reaction takes place and it will start to excrete the SAP crystals. Your product will continue to leach this gel-like substance each time it becomes wet, until all the SAP has been excreted. These SAP crystals are totally harmless and do not affect the quality of the product in any way. Please be aware that our furniture range of 40 x 90mm (1.8m) seat slats and 40 x 200mm (1.8m) table slats do not contain SAP, however 40 x 90 x 3600mm profiles do.
20. What happens if a single plank of my picnic setting is damaged? Can I purchase a replacement one?
Certainly. We usually have replacement pieces available for immediate delivery. If the replacement piece you require is not is stock, the normal lead time of three to four weeks applies.
Just fill out a purchase order detailing the name of the setting, the piece you require (for example ‘table plank’), the length of the piece (so that we can pre-drill the holes for you) and the colour of the piece.
Please remember that there may be a colour variance between the existing setting and the new piece.
21. Across your range, grey and black products are usually priced identically, but I’ve noticed that when it comes to the 100mm bollards, the grey bollards are more expensive than the black ones. Why is that?
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the master batch (pigment) used to colour the grey products is obviously lighter in colour than the black master batch, which means it is more susceptible to contaminants in the raw plastic waste. This results in a certain percentage of each production run being rejected as they don’t meet our quality assurance standards. Secondly, the 100mm bollards are manufactured in a different factory to the rest of our range, so slightly different technologies are used.
22. How many Enduroplank™ decking planks are there in a square metre?
Each Enduroplank™ measures 195mm wide, so there are five planks in a square metre. We recommend that you leave a 5mm gap between planks – effectively giving you coverage of 200mm per board. No shrinkage will occur between the gaps, so no allowance needs to be made. There may be slight expansion or shrinkage in the length of the planks, however.
23. How do you cut Enduroplank™ decking planking?
Enduroplank™ planks can be handled and machined using the same equipment you would use for handling timber components. It’s best to cut Enduroplank™ planks with a circular saw (using a narrow blade that has as few teeth as possible), but they can also be cut with a handsaw. Please take a moment to watch the installation tutorial video on the product page of our website, here: www.replas.com.au/prod_enduroplank.shtml
24. How do you drill holes for the screws in Enduroplank™ decking planking?
Planking can be bolted, nailed or screwed to the supporting structure, with only one central fixing required. Most people use Bugle screws for the job. You’ll need to drill pilot holes in each plank before you start – you can use a regular drill to create holes that are slightly larger in diameter than the fastener. Please take a moment to watch the installation tutorial video on the product page of our website, here: www.replas.com.au/prod_enduroplank.shtml
25. Why is my product slightly different in dimensions to what was listed on the website/price list I received?
Due to variances in material types and porosity, item dimensions and weights are nominal and are
to be used as a guide only.
