Many communities across the U.S. have adopted sustainability and conservation initiatives, aiming to reduce waste, mitigate the effects of climate change and protect the environment. Whether or not your city has formally announced such a goal, you can help your community go green.
Waste Not
Placing trash and recycling receptacles in your parks is important to encourage visitors to clean up after themselves. Take care with how you place your receptacles to ensure they are convenient for users. Include recycling bins to encourage visitors to help divert waste from landfills.
Make sure your receptacles have lids, to keep accumulated trash and recyclables where they belong. And be sure your staff is regularly checking and emptying receptacles to ensure people continue to use them correctly.
Material Matters
You can divert waste from landfills, too, when you select park furnishings like park benches, picnic tables and waste receptacles. How? Look for furnishings made from recycled plastic. This helps keep plastic items out of landfills. For example, one recycled plastic bench’s planks are made from 613 recycled milk jugs.
Recycled plastic equipment is long-lasting and easy to maintain, and helps you set an example for your park visitors. Be sure
to look for products that use 100% post-consumer and post-industrial plastic.
Once your recycled plastic furnishings have reached the end of their lifespan, you can take your green goals even further by recycling them.
Encourage Active Transportation
Be sure to install bike racks near your park’s entrance. Providing people with a place to park their bicycle will encourage them to use alternate methods of transportation to get to your park.
Get Together
Once your park is built, you can encourage the local community to go green along with you. Host a cleanup day at your park or along your local trails, and encourage community members to help keep things clean. You can also use this opportunity to educate them about the various efforts you’ve made to go green in your park.
For More Information
R.J. Thomas Mfg. Company
800-762-5002
www.pilotrock.com