By Ruth Milne, Journal staff
RAPID CITY — The EPA said that plastic milk jugs deposited in landfills will never degrade.


Instead of letting the plastic sit in a landfill forever, a Minnesota-based company, By The Yard, is using that longevity to its advantage and has created long-lasting furniture made from recycled plastic.

A local vendor of the furniture, Fred Baumann of By the Yard Black Hills & Badlands, will have a booth at the Black Hills Home Show this weekend featuring that hardy outdoor furniture.

By the Yard has been manufacturing outdoor furniture from recycled milk jugs for 16 years.

But the furniture wasn’t available west of that state until former Minnesotan Baumann, a longtime advocate of recycling, moved to the Black Hills four years ago and established a local branch.

The common perception of plastic deck furniture is flimsy, lightweight pieces that bend and break with wear and blow over with just a little gust of wind.

By the Yard Black Hills & Badlands furniture, which is solid — not hollow — and built with hardware rather than molded, defies those preconceptions, Bauman said. Even Baumann’s lightweight chairs tip the scales at 37 pounds, making them far sturdier than most plastic patio furniture.

“If you see our furniture blowing across your yard, go to the basement,” Baumann said jokingly. “You can pick up the chair later.”

Baumann describes the furniture as comfortable and maintenance-free. “It can’t warp or splinter or sliver or get rough because of weather,” he explained, adding that the color is stabilized so it will last. Each piece comes with a 25-year guarantee.

The furniture is meant to be left outdoors year-round, having been tested in the harshest Minnesota seasons. The pieces can be wiped off or hosed down and don’t need sanding or painting. The hardware holding the pieces together is stainless steel, so the furniture is protected from rust and decay.

The By the Yard factory is located outside Minneapolis, so orders are taken from a catalogue or online at www.bytheyardbhb.com, and items are shipped directly to the buyer.

For people who like to try out furniture before they buy, Baumann’s home-show booth will feature samples of chairs, tables, gliders, rockers, benches, flower planters and other deck accessories.

“I have made it a point to get to the home show in Rapid City every year,” Baumann said. This weekend will mark his third year.

He appreciates the Black Hills Homebuilders Association because the organization works hard with the building industry in Rapid City, and he said their home show is one of the best of the many he participates in throughout the Midwest.

“This is the show that people go to if they want to find out something about homes,” he said.

The Black Hills Home Show will feature many vendors offering ways to make lawns greener.

For those people also interested in a “greener” home in the environmental sense, Baumann invites browsers to stop at his booth and check out the results of recycling.

Contact Ruth Milne at 394-8329 or ruth.milne@rapidcityjournal.com