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Myth #1 - Thieves can steal my identity from papers I recycle. While identity theft occurs, it is not as widespread as the media leads you to believe. By shredding important documents and credit card applications, you can safeguard your identity and still recycle. Paper is a valuable commodity and needs to be recycled. Myth #2 - A triangular recycling symbol means it is recyclable, This one is tricky, but it is false-check with your local Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for exactly what numbers they collect & market. Myth #3 - I have to take all the labels off my jars and cans-false!  For more myths, read this.

Many playground installers and contractors want to use rubber mulch for its superior shock absorbency and require that the product is ADA compliant according to tests done in labs. These tests are performed bycompressing the rubber mulch multiple times so that a wheel chair can roll over the surface. Problem is…these steps are rarely taken in the field to install and maintain correctly and by nature, rubber mulch does not easily compress (part of the beauty of the shock-absorbent qualities of the product), especially when kids are running around on the rubber mulch.

In order to provide the greatest amount of shock-absorbency at the lowest cost and also meet ADA compliance so that handicap children CAN have access to the playground area without difficulty, the solution is to install rubber tiles in a 60″ wide pathway with loose-fill rubber mulch around the equipment fall zone. The loose rubber mulch is shock-absorbing up to 10′-12′ fall height when installed and maintained at a 6″ depth, and the rubber tiles gives the handicap child very easy movement on a firm, stable, slip-resistant and shock-absorbing surface. Rubber mulch is twice as shock-absorbing as wood mulch & lasts many more years with minimal maintenance, and significantly reduces playground-related injuries.

According to the National Program for Playground Safety, in the USA; schools, childcare facilities, and parks all get an “F” grade for maintaining the appropriate depth of loose fill. Approximately 80% of injuries on playgrounds are from falls to the surface below - 205,000 injuries per year, which is about 1 child every 2 1/2 minutes in the emergency rooms from playground-related injuries.

A copy of Rubber Mulch ADA Compliance Letter from the ASTMI Chair F15.29 is available upon request from Close the Loop, LLC, call 570.629.8414, or visit our website at www.closetheloop.com for more information on playground and landscaping rubber mulch, rubber tiles, recycled products and other green building materials.

Toll-Free ADA Information Line - Call to obtain answers to general and technical questions about the ADA and to order technical assistance materials: 800-514-0301 (voice) 800-514-0383 (TDD).

In researching for stories for The Loop e-newsletter, I came across this article which stunned me.  I knew in the past we had used our oceans for dumping, but I had no idea it was this bad…just a warning, that some of the images are hard to take…

By Susan Casey … A vast swath of the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, is full of a plastic stew that is entering the food chain. Scientists say these toxins are causing obesity, infertility…and worse.  “Every bit of plastic ever made still exists” Moore says.  Truth is, no one knows how long it will take for plastic to biodegrade, or return to its carbon and hydrogen elements. Meanwhile, every year, we churn out about 60 billion tons of it, much of which becomes disposable products meant only for a single use. Read more.  From Best Life Magazine.

For an interesting blog on the plastic subject, read this – an excerpt:  “refuse to purchase or to accept any plastic toys for your child, period. I know that this sounds harsh and that you risk offending Aunt Edna or whomever, but it’s your job as a parent to look out for your child’s health and wellbeing today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives.” 

For more videos on this subject:
The Scale of the Plastic Plague - “Hawai‘i -Message in the Waves” is a film from the BBC Natural History Unit looking at some of the environmental challenges facing the people and wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands.  These birds are giving their lives to show us what we’re doing to the ocean.  Throw away living may be profitable, but the consequences are intolerable.  We just need to work out what’s important to us.   View the video,  video2, video3.