Often when ordering lockers for your facility, the environment would not necessarily be the foremost thing on your mind. The impact you are making on the earth is worth a thought though, particularly if you are considering lockers made of plastic or metal.
A plastic locker, like anything made of plastic, puts a strain on the environment. While metal lockers have their own issues, because of the excavation of mineral necessary for their production, making wooden lockers or laminate lockers the most environmentally friendly choice. In this article we will be discussing how the lockers’ material you use can impact the environment and why choosing environmentally friendly material is necessary.
Why Avoid Plastic?
Did you know? Plastic is made of petroleum? the production of plastic in the United States uses over 300 billion barrels of petroleum each year, which is about 5 percent of the nation’s petroleum consumption.
Not only is this a waste of oil, but it is also dangerous, because petroleum production pollutes the environment, and the use of things made of petroleum pollutes the environment, contaminating the water and air.
Plastic does not break down, either. It can last for thousands of years floating in the water, and the part of it that does breakdown in landfills ends up leaching chemicals into the soil and groundwater.
That might make you think twice before installing plastic lockers.
Is Metal Any Better?
Of course, metal lockers are not much better. The problem with metal is that the components are extracted from the earth through mining, which carries a host of environmental issues.
Open-pit mining is the most damaging type of mining because the necessary minerals are found in small concentrations, which means that large amounts of ore must be mined.
During this process, unexposed rocks become exposed, and when they are crushed, they release radioactive elements.
During the separation process, mixtures of pulverized rock and liquid containing radioactive elements can leak into bedrock if not controlled.
Underground mining also releases toxins, as well as a risk of cave-ins, deforestation, and increased sediment in rivers.
Leach mining has some advantages over other forms of mining because the ore body is dissolved before it is removed, which means there is less surface disturbance.
However, the acids that dissolve the ore body tend to impact the host rock as well, and the fluids that remain behind have high concentrations of metals and radioactive isotopes, and this poses a threat to groundwater.
Wood is Your Safest Bet
No matter what you are building, wood is typically an environmentally friendly option. It is a renewable resource, and because trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, they rid the air of pollution.
Composite wood is great because it recycles mill waste and old pallets, rather than using virgin wood. The resourcefulness of composite wood combined with its enhanced durability over virgin wood makes it the best long-term investment for an environmental conscience organization. Composite wooden lockers will serve your needs for a very long time, with minimal environmental impact.
Storage lockers are great, but do you want to know how to make it better? Talk to us today to find out more on about our NS1000 lock and how it could help in adding more value and security to your facility.