Press Release
North Ayrshire School Unveils a Playground Made From Recycled Plastic

Castlepark Primary School in North Ayrshire will unveil its very own playground made from recycled plastic after winning a national competition to receive a sustainable play area for children.

The playground unveil will happen at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 27th November 2018 at Castlepark Primary School, Irvine, North Ayrshire, with children, parents and representatives from Febreze, Fairy, TerraCycle, Tesco and North Ayrshire Council attending.

Over the summer, Febreze and Fairy partnered with TerraCycle and Tesco to give schools in the UK a chance to win a playground made from recycled plastic. Community members were encouraged to get involved and help their local schools win by voting for them in the competition.

Castlepark was one of only five schools in Scotland to reach the final. The school’s impressive campaign, spearheaded by Anne Wylie, the school’s Eco-Coordinator, and the Parents Council, engaged staff and pupils as well as families and friends from all around the world.

Scott Popham, Senior Communications Manager at P&G comments: “It is crucial to engage our society’s youngest in the fight against plastic pollution. Our hope is that the construction of a playground made from recycled plastic will help spread the message of the importance of waste recycling. As we continue expanding the program to reach more schools nationwide, we hope to engage more communities through these fun activities.’’

Elynn Crone, Headteacher at Castlepark Primary School said: ‘’We are very excited to be unveiling our new sustainable playground. Our community, from parents and carers to pupils, has worked so hard to inspire everyone to vote – we knocked on doors, emailed and gave out leaflets. It is such a rewarding experience for our young people – their hard work paid off.’’

John Bell, North Ayrshire Councillor and Cabinet Member for Education and Youth Employment added: “The young people, staff and everyone involved put in so much work so and we are sure they will love their new playground. The pupils have not only learnt about recycling and the environment but also about the community spirit and working as a team. We are sure this new play area will be a huge asset and make Castlepark Primary an even better place to learn and have fun.’’

The recycled plastic playground adds to the school’s sustainability credentials as Castlepark has its own Eco Committee and is listed on TerraCycle’s local public collection points for items that are regularly sent to landfill, such as air fresheners, home cleaning product trigger heads, baby food pouches and used pens.

The playground is also a fitting prize for the region of North Ayrshire. It is a stand out area in the Scottish Government’s ‘Zero Waste Scotland’ program, boasting some of the highest recycling rates in the country. An impressive 55.3% of waste from the region enters the circular economy*.

The recycled playground will be built using 900 kg of recycled plastic, mainly with parts made from kerbside recycling waste collected in the UK that includes milk bottles, plastic drink bottles, plastic food trays and containers. Construction of a playground made from recycled plastic shows the possibilities of a circular economy, with everyday use plastic waste being turned into a playing field.