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Recycling grant used on pool deck

Cache Creek will use a $5,000 grant from the Tire Stewardship of BC to put rubber tiles around their pool deck.

Cache Creek is one of this year’s grant recipients from the Tire Stewardship of BC, who announced the last half of  their 2011 community grants last week. They gave out a total of $556,318 last year.

Cache Creek was one of 29 BC communities, and received more than $5,000 to be put toward the use of crumb rubber, which stems from recycled car tires, in their project. The grant amount must be matched by the Village.

Cache Creek administrator Leslie Lloyd says the grant will be used to resurface 600 square feet around the deck of the Cache Creek swimming pool with recycled rubber tiles, providing a safe surface to walk on, wet or dry.

Over half a million pounds of tires have been kept out of BC landfills thanks to Tire Stewardship BC’s (TSBC) second round of Community Grants in 2011.

“This amounts to nearly 38,000 tires that were kept out of landfills and instead were recycled for use in playgrounds, water parks and indoor and outdoor athletic facilities,” says TSBC Executive Director Mike Hennessy. “In total, TSBC’s Community Grant Program recycled more than 680,000 pounds of rubber tires in 2011, benefiting the environment and helping to build BC’s economy.”

Funding for the Community Grant Program comes directly from the Advance Disposal Fee or “eco-fee” that each retailer remits to TSBC for every new tire sold. These fees go directly towards the operation of the BC-based scrap tire recycling program, including the transportation and recycling of scrap tires to ensure they are disposed of in environmentally responsible ways, such as recycling into rubber products.

Since the scrap tire recycling program was launched in 1991, more than 50 million vehicle tires have been recycled in the province.

Applications of recycled BC rubber include:

- Playgrounds - Completely wheelchair accessible and provides safety by cushioning falls.

- Sidewalks and Trails - Provides cushioning support that is more comfortable for walking and jogging, is friendly to plant root systems and is water permeable. It is also easily maintained and installed.

- Water Parks - Water permeability and a soft surface is a good choice for spray parks and pools.

- Athletic tracks - Running tracks made from recycled rubber offer better traction and reduced stress on a runner’s legs.

- Synthetic Turf Fields – Sports fields that use particles of crumb rubber as infill material increase the resiliency of the field. These fields are also cost efficient, low maintenance and can be used in all weather conditions. The Synthetic Turf Council estimates that the total amount of synthetic turf installed in North America conserves more than three billion gallons of water each year.

Communities and organizations that received grants as part of the 2011 Fall Community Grant Program:

YMCA-YWCA of the Central Okanagan (Kelowna); S.D. 28 (Quesnel); City of Nanaimo; The Village of Cache Creek; District of Tumbler Ridge; City of Fort St John; S.D. 20 (Rossland); City of Port Alberni; Regional District of North Okanagan (Vernon); District of Sechelt; District of Courtenay; City of Salmon Arm; Bench Elementary (Cowichan Bay); City of Terrace; Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Society; Vancouver Parks Board; District of North Vancouver Parks; Rotary Club of Campbell River; Chesterfield Sports Society; Ladner Lawn Bowling Club; District of Mackenzie; City of Greenwood, Village of Granisle; Family YMCA of Prince George; City of Coquitlam; Haida Gwaii Fitness Association; City of Langford; City of Kelowna; and Town of Creston.