1992 - Volume #16, Issue #4, Page #31
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Window Sashes Made Out Of Recycled Plastic
We've started a new on-farm sideline business manufacturing and selling barn window sashes out of recycled plastic. My husband Andy got the idea because he was tired of replacing rotted-out wood sashes that would only last a few years. He figured other farmers must have the same problem. (We also make windows for garages, ware-houses, and home storm windows.)These no-maintenance windows are made out of high-density plastic recycled from plastic bottles and milk jugs. It mills just like dimension lumber so we can custom-build windows to almost any size or configuration. Broken panes are easy to replace since the crossbars pull right off. Under independent testing we discovered that in the equivalent of 50 years aging, the plastic "wood" lost less than 1 percent coloration so we feel they'll last virtually "forever".
Our windows sell for about double the cost of conventional, inexpensive wood sashes. For example, a 9 by 12 window that you could buy for about $16 at a discount lumber store sells for $33 when made out of plastic. We've also made feedbunks and other livestock equipment out of the plastic. (Andy & Sue Ballou, Recycled Products, 231 S. Cedar St., Monticello, Iowa 52310 ph 319 465-6125)
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