Environmental & Recycling Program

SIGNS

Those plastic milk containers you recycle each week can come back to life in the most unexpected places like signs, made by UNICOR.

The plastic is extruded, formed into sheets, then laminated together to form a strong, unbreakable base for signs. Because different agencies have different requirements, plastic is the ideal material, as it can be cut into a nearly infinite variety of shapes and can be ordered in many colors.

Once the sign is manufactured to customer specifications, text is cut, or "routed," onto the surface. This eliminates the need for paint, or ink from silk screening, which means no disposal of hazardous products. Harmless routing waste is simply vacuumed into a container for easy disposal.

For customers, the principal benefit of these plastic signs is that they last up to four times longer than traditional aluminum or wood signs. Because they are impervious to insects, weather, graffiti and other "wear and tear" agents, the U.S. Forest Service has employed UNICOR signs in swampy areas and to mark trails.

UNICOR also produces signs from recycled fiberglass, but because the technology of fiberglass reclamation is still costly, the finished product exceeds the price of using virgin materials. It's expected that the price will decrease as more commercial vendors enter the marketplace.

UNICOR also follows environmentally sensitive guidelines in its production of decals and screen printed emblems. An ultra violet curing process uses inks that are chemically inert upon exposure to a UV light source, and all inks used are free of volatile organic compounds. No toxic by-products are generated throughout the process.