September 19, 2019

Creating sustainable, inclusive and accessible playgrounds featuring recycled crumb rubber and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

Emterra Tire Recycling is proud to be a supplier of recycled crumb rubber for Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, a national charity dedicated to helping kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. This accessible Jumpstart Playground can be found in Charlottetown, PEI.

Imaginative, pretend, enjoyable and spontaneous are all adjectives to describe ‘Play.’ Play is the life work of children and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities want to be part of the fun! To help, they are building universally accessible playgrounds to give all kids the chance to play, and develop life skills through sport. Emterra Tire Recycling (ETR) couldn’t be more pleased to be part of this important charitable program that is building an accessible playground in every Canadian province and territory.

In late 2018, ETR began a partnership with Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) to recycle scrap tires collected from more than 200 Canadian Tire stores across Ontario. A portion of the recycled tires are then used to build the rubberized surfacing for Jumpstart accessible playgrounds.

“Jumpstart is incredibly proud of the work we have done in creating a more inclusive Canada,” says Scott Fraser, President, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. “Working with great partners like Emterra Tire Recycling helps us provide more opportunities for all kids of all abilities to participate in sport, recreation and play.”

“Recycled crumb rubber is an ideal product to be used for purposes like accessible playgrounds,” explains John Cassell, General Manager of ETR. “First of all, kids fall and this is a great shock absorber. Recycled crumb rubber will virtually last forever, it is weather-proof and is easy to maneuver on foot or in an accessibility device.”

Recycled crumb rubber also contributes to a circular economy by keeping a valuable resource in continuous use. ETR processes more than 30 million KGs of recycled crumb rubber annually through an emission-free process. It takes a product that has seemingly reached the end of its intended life and prepares it for use in another application – extending the product’s life and contributing to a circular economy.

“By using recycled crumb rubber, we are creating a circular supply chain that is vastly different compared to typical supply chains that use a take, make, dispose model,” says Emmie Leung, Founder and CEO of Emterra Group. “We are constantly trying to find ways to work with our partners to uncover solutions to everyday needs that support our vision for regenerative economies and ecosystems – to transform waste into a resource.”

The goal of Jumpstart’s Inclusive Playground Project is to build an accessible playground in every Canadian province and territory by 2022! The hope is that these playgrounds will set a new standard for inclusive play, and create community spaces where kids of all abilities can play side-by-side. To date, there are two accessible Jumpstart Playgrounds using recycled crumb rubber supplied through ETR. The first playground can be found at Victoria Park in Charlottetown, PEI and a second playground at Earl Bales Park in Toronto, ON.

Related Articles