Thanks to a community grant from Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC), Lau’welnew Tribal School in Brentwood Bay will soon have a rubberized playground.
The school, one of 11 grant recipients, will install accessible play equipment and wheelchair-friendly rubber surfacing for kids of all abilities using 426 recycled tires.
Fitness elements for adults will also be integrated, promoting exercise and well-being for all members of the community.
"The choice of surfacing is important to us, as we want the space to be fully accessible to those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids," a spokesperson for Lau’welnew Tribal School said.
"The project aims to foster inter-generational bonding by incorporating both traditional play structures and fitness equipment."
TSBC, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collection and recycling of scrap tires in British Columbia, provides grants to support community projects that incorporate recycled tire materials.
Eleven accessibility and revitalization community projects have been awarded the grant this year. Combined, these projects will use a total of 10,000 B.C. recycled scrap tires.
“We’re confident these projects will gain lasting value from incorporating B.C.’s recycled scrap tires,” TSBC executive director Rosemary Sutton said.
“Rubberized surfacing is not only durable and low maintenance, but most importantly, it allows accessibility for all users.”
To date, TSBC has given out over $6.5 million in community grants to municipalities, non-profit groups, schools, First Nations and Metis settlements to help in their efforts to build or upgrade facilities using recycled tire products.
So far, they've funded 360 projects across 96 communities in B.C.
British Columbia's scrap tire recycling program, the oldest in Canada, has been operating for over 30 years. Since its inception in 1991, the program has successfully recycled over 122 million tires.
