Not all trash plastic is going straight to the landfill. A Denver company, Repurposed Materials, sells used vinyl’s from billboards as construction tarps. Price? $60. Not too bad, considering a new vinyl tarp of comparable quality costs approximately 75% more than the used tarp.
Repurposed Materials reports the tarps have been used by builders and building material suppliers wanting to cover lumber, open roofs, window openings, hay, driveways prior to pouring concrete, and dirt piles.
If not being used for construction purposes, they also work as drop cloths or boat covers. The company reports, “in addition to being a ‘green’ tarp alternative, they are also cheap and effective.”
“Sales are good,” says Damon Carson, from the Damon Carson Company, adding that his company has not yet suffered through the difficulties of being overstocked with inventory. “We really don’t have tarps we don’t sell. They all will sell!”
The heavy-duty waterproof vinyls measure 20 mils thick. On its website, Repurposed Materials writes “blue tarps at Home Depot are just 5 mils thick.”
For larger projects, the tarps can also be seamed together with vinyl cement. Common sizes include 10’x30’, 12’x42’, and 14’x48’.
The list of repurposed material doesn’t stop with tarps. Conveyor belting is also sold as flooring for trailers, horse stables or warehouses. Old snow fence wood is also available, as is pressure-treated 2”6” lumber.
The company reports it is building a dealers network that serves other states, including Texas, Wyoming, Tennessee and Iowa.
