By Nic Breedlove

PlayMart playground from recycled plastic

A trend over the past decade in playground design and construction is the use of recycled plastic playground equipment. This type of equipment uses plastic recycled from waste such as bottles, and can be made to look like wood finish, or can be brightly colored. One average recycled playground structure uses nearly 25,000 recycled plastic containers. Manufacturers of recycled plastic playground equipment tout the equipment’s sturdiness and low maintenance needs, and playgrounds all over America have listened. Here are some examples of types of playground structures and the equivalent number of plastic milk jugs that go into making them.

Small, double slide structure – 6,185 milk containers

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By Nancy Whelan

Plastic recycling is important but reducing plastic usage is our ticket to a healthier planet moving forward. If we were reluctant to buy in to the mass hysteria surrounding plastic waste before, recent news coming from reputable sources such as The New York Times and Sierra Club warn us that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now twice the size of Texas. The waters there have been described by scientists as “minestrone,” containing plastic of all types and sizes, from identifiable household items to confetti-sized litter. It remains to be seen what can be done, if anything, to remove existing plastic from our oceans.

Reducing plastic waste in our environment begins with you and me. Refusing plastic packaging requires time and energy and difficult choices. Recycling the plastic we already have is also time-consuming and challenging.

There are some easy ways to stop using plastic in the household and even when you’re on the move:

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The Coca-Cola Company has been in the news for developing a tangible step towards their goal to create a 100 percent renewable and 1oo percent recyclable plastic bottle.

They’ve just introduced the PlantBottle made with 30% renewable materials, such as molasses. Marc Gunther and GreenerDesign did a great job collecting the information in an article about The Perfect Bottle.