In a time when cities are evolving faster than ever, sustainability is no longer optional—it’s essential. For landscape architects, designers, and urban planners, this shift demands new materials, smarter sourcing, and thoughtful manufacturing. At Urban Accessories, making products from recycled materials isn’t just an environmentally friendly choice—it’s a cornerstone of how we work.

Defining Post-Industrial and Post-Consumer Recycled Content

In metal casting and fabrication, recycled content typically falls into two categories:

• Post-Industrial Recycled Content refers to material reclaimed during manufacturing—such as excess ductile iron from trimming or machining, or scrap metal generated during casting. This material never reaches the end user and is reintroduced directly into production.
  
• Post-Consumer Recycled Content is recovered from products that have completed their lifecycle. For Urban Accessories, this includes scrap iron from discarded automotive parts like brake rotors and drums, which are melted down and reused in new castings.
  

These recycled materials not only reduce waste but also support our commitment to local sourcing and sustainable manufacturing.

Types of Recycled Materials Used in Urban Manufacturing

Cast Iron and Ductile Iron

Urban Accessories uses 100% post consumer recycled iron for all cast gray iron products. Our ductile iron castings contain 50% pig iron, 30% post industrial and 20% recycled domestic steel sourced within 50 miles. Most of this iron comes from nearby automotive scrap—specifically brake rotors and drums—keeping sourcing local and impactful.

Cast Aluminum

All aluminum castings are produced using 100% recycled material. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and durable, aluminum is ideal for outdoor applications like benches, litter bins, and bike racks.

Recycled Paper Composites

Innovative materials like Richlite, made from recycled paper and manufactured across the street from our Tacoma foundry, are used in select site furnishings. Richlite is FSC®-certified and GREENGUARD-accredited, offering both durability and sustainability.

Reused Foundry Sand

Urban Accessories reuses spent sand from casting processes, a significant contributor to material waste reduction. Spent sand is also repurposed as a base material for landscaping or even agricultural uses.

Benefits of Using Recycled Materials in Manufacturing

Cost Efficiency

Recycled materials help lower raw material costs while reducing the need for virgin resource extraction, which carries higher environmental and economic costs.

Environmental Impact

By reducing emissions associated with mining and transporting raw materials, recycled-content products lower a project’s carbon footprint. Urban Accessories further minimizes impact with a 100% in-house manufacturing process and by sourcing most materials within 50 miles of our facilities.

Innovation Potential

Working with recycled materials opens the door to innovative solutions. Our team has used recycled brake rotors to create intricate decorative castings, pushing the boundaries of what reclaimed material can do.

Consumer Appeal

Cities and clients are increasingly requiring sustainable practices. Our use of recycled materials aligns with LEED, LBC, and other sustainability frameworks often required in public and commercial projects.

Product Longevity and Circularity

Durability is an often-overlooked sustainability metric. Our cast iron, aluminum, and bronze products last decades and can be recycled at end-of-life—feeding right back into the casting process.

How Urban Accessories Supports the Future of Recycled Materials

Urban Accessories is more than a foundry—we’re a sustainability partner for landscape architects and designers. With three manufacturing facilities located within five miles of one another and a long-standing commitment to local sourcing, we lead by example.

We prioritize:

• Zero VOC Finishes: All powder coating is solvent-free and done in-house.
  
• Energy-Efficient Equipment: Our operations are optimized for minimal power consumption.
  
• Low Waste Manufacturing: Our closed-loop casting processes reuse post-production materials and minimize scrap.
  

Ready to specify sustainable site furnishings? Explore our Custom Work and Work With Us pages to start your collaboration.