Recycled Rubber Coalition Kicks Off Better Play Initiative

The Recycled Rubber Coalition has launched the Better Play Initiative (BPI), a nationwide public education campaign to provide community leaders with definitive resources on the safety, reliability and durability of surfaces using crumb rubber and other recycled rubber products.

Recycled rubber is used in a wide range of products and applications, helping to keep 220 million end-of-life tires out of landfills each year. For communities, products using recycled rubber are utilized in parks, playgrounds, and playing fields, and provide a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to traditional surfaces.

“The Better Play Initiative will provide state and community leaders with the information they need to make informed, responsible decisions regarding the safety and accessibility of our nation’s playgrounds, parks, and playing fields,” said Stratton Kirton, Vice President of Government Affairs for Liberty Tire Recycling, which is a member of the Recycled Rubber Coalition.

“Parks, playgrounds, and playing fields are essential infrastructure for public health and community well-being. Recycled rubber provides safe, accessible, and responsible public spaces for communities,” Scott Gerber, Program Director of the Better Play Initiative, said.

Over the years, researchers worldwide have developed a significant body of peer-reviewed and other definitive studies examining the safety of recycled rubber. Study after study has concluded that there are no significant differences in health risks between different playing surface types, including grass.

The Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Centers for Disease Control concluded that recycled rubber surfaces pose no significant health risks. Similarly, a comprehensive study from the National Institution for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands found, after extensive field testing, that health risks are “virtually negligible.” Also significant, the recently-released OEHHA Synthetic Turf draft report found

Nevertheless, myths about recycled rubber have persisted. The Better Play Initiative will provide access to reliable resources to counter misinformation and outline the ways in which communities have safely used these products for decades.

In addition, the coalition provides access to reliable, performance and data-backed information on other recycled rubber benefits. Recycled rubber has shown a 75 percent reduction in maintenance costs, providing nearly seven percent more annual usage—2,300 hours vs. 300 hours for grass fields, and a 400-500 percent longer lifespan than traditional fields, remaining safe and playable.

For more information about the Better Play Initiative, visit:  https://www.betterplaytoday.org