We are often asked about our plastic Defender® Bird Spikes, questions such as: Why do we use plastic, are they as strong as your metal spikes, can they be recycled? Well, not all plastic is created equal, we use a high-performance tough, amorphous, transparent thermoplastic polymer – quite the mouthful! Let’s explain what that means and why it’s different to other plastics.
We are all aware that plastic is not getting great press at the moment especially disposable single-use plastic; humanity uses so much of it, throws it away after using only once, then it breaks down into microplastics and pollutes the environment. So let us be clear from the start, Defender® Bird Spikes are definitely not made from this type of standard plastic!
Plastic Defender® Bird Spikes are moulded from a high-performance polycarbonate. There are generally three different groups of plastic: standard, engineering and high performance. Standard is the most common and used in disposable cheap items such as carrier bags and water bottles however for a plastic that offers superior quality, high-performance is the go-to quality material.
High-performance plastic offers thermal stability and heat resistance, and with this comes excellent resistance to chemical corrosion and degradation. This is the perfect combination for use outside and why we use it for our plastic spikes and for the bases of our metal spikes. Bird spikes need to stand up to differing temperatures the weather can throw at them as well as harsher environments such as coastal areas which have a lot of sodium chloride in the atmosphere. The polycarbonate used for Defender® bird spikes also has added ultraviolet stabilisers to protect the spikes from long-term exposure to the sun.
Our polycarbonate is known for its strength and durability. It is an extremely strong plastic, with a high tensile strength making it resistant to wear, tear and impact. It’s the perfect material for keeping the pins on a bird spike upright and unbreakable. In fact, high-performance plastic is often used to replace metal, which is why we use it as an alternative to our Defender® metal bird spikes. Of course, it is also a very lightweight substance making it easy to transport, especially for pest controllers and tradespersons needing to carry rolls of bird spikes up and down ladders.
Another great reason we use high-performance polycarbonate is for its machinability, reusability and recyclable properties. It is a type of thermoplastic and this means it can be heated up to melting point, cooled and reheated many times without degradation making it the perfect substance for use in injection moulding machines and also for recycling. Its versatility when in liquid form makes it perfect for forming complex shapes such as our dense Defender® Thistle Spike. If you want to know more about the injection moulding process, do check out our blog on How are Defender® Bird Spikes Made?
Finally, yes, our Defender® polycarbonate bird spikes are recyclable, but why would you ever need to do this. We use such a quality high-performance plastic, our bird spikes will stay in place for years, humanely and quietly deterring birds off your property. In fact, we are so confident in the plastic material we use for our spikes, we offer a 15-year warranty with them.
If you have any further questions about our manufacture processes or the materials we use do give us a call on 01626 835055 or email on sales@jonesandson.co.uk We love to talk about what we do here and how we can help you with your bird problem.