Five Sustainable Playground Surfaces

Sustainability is an important topic. When planning the construction of your playground, you want to make sure you are using materials and processes which are as kind to the environment as possible. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available to you in order to create an exciting, environmentally-friendly playground.
In this article, we are going to be talking specifically about playground surfaces. The five options listed below are excellent sustainable choices that you can feel good about using on your playground.

Rubber Safety Tiles

These kinds of tiles have become a popular option in recent years, as they offer sustainability, visual appeal, and excellent safety for the kids. You will need to have a cushioned based installed first before the rubber tiles can be put into place. Without the matter of a loose material like wood chips to deal with, you don’t have to order more surface material every year. Once put in place properly, this type of playground surface should hold up nicely for years to come.

Poured-in-Place Rubber

This is a very similar solution to the first option on our list. However, in this case, the rubber is simply poured right there on-site, rather than being formed into tiles in advance. By pouring the rubber in place on the playground, you can create an incredible range of designs with a wide palette of colors. The benefits of this option are many, including the fact that the rubber can be poured with very little surface prep, as well as the lack of seams thanks to the poured installation.

Rubber Mulch

Believe it or not, you can actually use mulch made from rubber as a surfacing material for your playground. This option will give you many of the benefits enjoyed with something like wood chips – such as the cushioning that is proved for a fall – yet since it is significantly heavier than wood chips, you shouldn’t lose as much of the material throughout the course of the year. However, some will inevitably be lost, so this option does require a bit of a refresh at some point.

Engineered Wood Chips

This is similar in look and performance to regular wood chips, with the notable improvement of being produced in a controlled environment so nothing undesirable makes its way into the mix. Traditional wood chip products will often have twigs, sticks, and other small items that make their way through screening, meaning the final product is not as consistent – and safe – as you might like. With engineered wood chips, you can get around this problem and come away with a suitable surface for your playground.

Synthetic Turf

There is no doubt that natural grass is a visually appealing surface, but it requires significant maintenance – and it will be particularly hard to manage when playing host to many children each day. By opting for synthetic turf, you can enjoy the beauty of a grass-like surface without having to deal with the many maintenance concerns.

With so many great options to consider, the choice is going to be yours in the end. Based on your budget and the vision you have for the playground, one of the five options above is very likely going to be a winner.