A trend of use recycled plastic playground equipment is 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. Recycled plastic materials can replace concrete, wood, and metal structures on playgrounds, and are constructed around an inner steel core for strength and durability. The plastics used range from products containing 25% recycled materials to 100% recycled materials. In addition to play equipment, recycled plastics are commonly made into park benches, picnic tables, walkways, decking, bridges, and landscaping borders.

While recycled plastic equipment costs more up front than that made of wood, when the costs of maintenance and replacement are factored in, over the lifetime of the equipment, recycled plastic can cost less than wood. Additionally, plastic equipment can be recycled again when it is no longer needed. In the fall of 2007, Columbia University students presented a proposal for upgrading parks and playgrounds in New York City to use more recycled products. Recycled plastic played the biggest role in the upgrades. Other recycled materials included surfaces made of recycled rubber tires, fences made from recycled steel, and trash containers made from recycled aluminum. The proposal ended with suggestions for what to do with the outdated equipment that was no longer needed. In many cases, equipment can be dismantled, sorted by content, and sold or donated to scrap recyclers. Only as a last resort would incineration be needed.

Seattle is another major American city used recycled plastics to replace bench slats and trash bin liners. Since 1997, Seattle’s Parks Division has been using playground apparatus made from recycled plastic, steel, and aluminum, and has also installed recycled plastic picnic tables in place of deteriorating wood picnic tables. Playgrounds across the country are making use of recycled plastic playground equipment and recycled plastic lumber to create kid-friendly, sturdy structures that keep plastics out of landfills. Plastic equipment and lumber can be made to look like wood, or can be made in a variety of bright colors. When the equipment has reached the end of its useful life, it can then be recycled again. That is yet another advantage to cities and schools wanting to minimize their environmental footprint while giving children a safe, fun place to play.