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The old playground had 5 huge tractor tires, sunk in the ground and used as climbing apparatus. In the rebuilding process, the tractor tires were hauled off to Recycled Rubber Resources in Macon, MO where they were shredded and processed into crumb rubber and returned to St. James as part of its new playground surface.

The project was managed by a seven member committee authorized by the school's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Ms. Nancy Newland, a biology teacher and environmental education specialist who headed up the educational and publicity segments of the project shared a behind the scenes look with Scrap Tire News on what it takes to move from the idea of using recycled materials to a finished product.

We congratulate Ms. Newland and her committee partners for their perseverance and for their dedication in searching out the safest materials, shopping for the best price and demonstrating that buying and using recycled materials makes a lot of sense.

by Nancy Newland

Between research, fund-raising, grant writing, and assembly, this playground project took 10 months. We researched each decision with great care. We read publications from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and numerous other medical and technical journals. We consulted with landscape architects, school grounds keepers, park departments, engineers and physicians.

Our biggest issue was surfacing. We had an existing playground that was surrounded by grass and exposed hardpack clay soil. We considered playground mulch (fiber), playground pea gravel, and shredded tire material. We eliminated mulch early because our playground is in a windy, open location and mulch was prone to blowing away. Also we were concerned about budgeting for annual replenishment.

Gravel was a natural choice because the other local schools used it and we were all familiar with it. But nobody was overjoyed with that option. That is what prompted us to investigate shredded tire rubber. We toured the one known playground with shredded tire rubber in our area. We ordered crumb rubber samples and the seven of us took the samples home and experimented with them. We washed, dried, vacuumed, tried to set fire to, rubbed into clothing, smelled and practically tasted the sample.

Allergy
We consulted a pediatric allergist who informed us that the latex in tires is not the same as the allergy-causing latex in gloves and that any tiny allergy risk was more than offset by the increased safety of this surfacing. He also pointed out that kids have been sitting on tire swings for almost a century with no problem. We also consulted with a landscape architect, who had sent a sample to Children's Mercy Hospital for analysis. It was given a clean bill of health, particularly since it is not prone to grow mold or other slimy stuff. They also said the average playground usage does not provide enough friction for tiny lung injuring particles to be released.

Flammability
Our personal research demonstrated that the tire material is not highly flammable. It can sustain a flame, but only when deliberated and patiently ignited with a fuel source (just like mulch). In other words, a flung cigarette would not cause a flare-up.

Cost
Everyone had the impression that it was expensive. But when you compare apples to apples i.e., a 6 inch thick covering of crumb rubber with the equivalent 12 inches of high quality washed, glass-free pea gravel and include delivery cost - they are about the same price.

Fun
Kids hate gravel. They can't run in it and when it gets in shoes it hurts. It hurts when it's thrown. It scrapes the paint off play equipment. It's dusty and it needs a high and strong border. Once we took our kids to the recycled tire surface playground , they were sold. It's fun watching children step on it for the first time...words like "Ohhh!" and "Neat !" and "Cool!" were heard. Then the jumping and moon walking began.

Rumor Mill
Once we had convinced ourselves in a scientific way that this surfacing was safe and desirable, we had to constantly fight the hearsay. Such as, - "the tire crumb rubber melts on hot days" and "crumb rubber bits will clog your vacuum." Plus all the issues about flammability, allergy, cost, etc. These rumors continue to this day. We take this in stride; any new, unfamiliar product will cause this reaction.

Upkeep
We did all we could to arrange for the long-term use of our playground. We graded the site carefully to have water drain away and not take the crumb rubber with it. We added a drainage system similar to those on athletic fields to handle heavy rains. We covered the surface with heavy duty, commercial landscape fabric and surrounded the area with 12" border made from recycled plastic anchored with 30" rebar. Then we spread the crumb rubber. I think any project that skimps on these steps will be unhappy with any surfacing they choose.

Funding
Missouri Department of Natural Resources granted us $5,000 for our project. In addition we received a $5,000 grant from the Kansas City 150th Anniversary Legacy Fund and a $10,000 donation from The William T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank Trustee. The St. James PTO Auction raised $14,000 for the playground and many, many others volunteered their time and labor to the project. It is always a challenge being on the cutting edge of a new product. We are proud to display the fact that our playground recycled 5,704 Missouri scrap tires. We hope to be a model to other schools in our area. Most importantly, the children love it. In fact, one teacher asked why we bothered to install playground equipment; a pit of crumb rubber would have done just fine.

Suggestions:

½ Install the project a month before school starts. The crumb rubber material can be "dusty" when first installed. A few rains take care of the problem.

Source: Nancy Newland

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