Keeping Your Playground and Park Clean
Author: Austin Stanfel
Do you enjoy taking a walk outside at your local playground? Indeed, almost everyone likes to spend time in a community park during free hours. In many communities, parks are a social hub where people of all ages meet and communicate.
However, have you ever wondered how difficult it is to keep playgrounds and dog parks clean? For playground administrators, managing hazards and litter is like a full-time job. At the same time, private organizations routinely volunteer to clean the local parks so that people like you and me can have a safe space for our entertainment.
A space filled with litter is not just very unattractive but also a significant liability and health hazard. When planning outdoor space, authorities usually allocate some of the total budget to waste management.
Pet Waste Management
While human waste is easy to manage, pet waste management is one of the biggest problems that parks and other urban areas face. This is because pet waste not only makes the environment unbearable but also poses threats to water quality. Hence, it is essential to dispose of it properly.
One thing that pet owners should realize is that pet waste is quite harmful to public parks. The local lakes will be affected if they do not pick up the trash from their pets. As a result, the water table from which drinking water is extracted will also suffer.
Therefore, everyone should take responsibility for the disposal of pet waste. This will ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy the local parks. At the same time, the owners of local parks should also put up signage that reminds pet owners about the ordinances and bylaws. They should also provide ample disposal units and waste bags so pet owners can properly dispose of pet waste.
Plastic Litter Effects
Another big waste problem at local parks is that of plastic litter. Do you know plastic water takes around 500 years to break down fully? Some other plastics take more than a thousand years to biodegrade. Even after they are fully broken down, a chemical known as PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) remains in the soil. It is a toxic and harmful chemical that does not leave our environment.
An average person can, at most, do two things in this regard. Firstly, he/she can reduce the usage of plastic bags and plastic bottles. Instead, they can adopt reusable water bottles. Secondly, they should also ensure that all used plastic is recycled so that the local landscapes do not get littered.
Recycling in Parks
In this park, owners can put several recycling bins in areas where there is a high amount of traffic. By designing a recycle-friendly park like this, park owners can reduce the amount of plastic waste on the site. Such receptacles can be placed beside the eating areas outdoors and playgrounds.
