The standard go-to material for playground play equipment, especially trim trails, has always been timber in either a round or square edged profile. The reason being? There was nothing else available on the market bar metal which doesn’t really suit school environments and is more commonly used in public play parks for example.

Timber does have its disadvantages though, especially rounded timber posts which suffer from radial cracking and which causes the timber to split quite badly especially when the seasons and ambient temperature change as it dries out from the core. And if it has not had the correct protection or treatment when dug into the ground, timber will rot below ground and thereby limit its intended life span.

But there is now a far better solution and that is to use recycled plastic play equipment as this material has so many benefits and advantages over timber. These are listed below:

• It is virtually maintenance free which is a huge advantage to a school and can save quite considerably with on-going maintenance costs and time spent fixing faulty play equipment – especially if the warranties have expired
• It doesn’t splinter, crack or have “shakes” like timber does – so no nasty incidents with children getting their fingers caught or splinters
• It doesn’t rot or decay and requires no other type of protection when digging into the ground
• It is incredibly durable and will therefore last a lot longer (typically five times) than traditional timber made trim trail play equipment
• It is very eco-friendly as it is made out of recycled plastic bottles which of course is a big topical environmental issue at the moment
• It is UV resistant so will not discolour over time
• It is very hard to vandalise with graffiti and is also very resistant to any algae or insect infestation which can happen with timber

These are all very good reasons why a school should consider using recycled plastic for their next playground project.

The Hideout House Company offer a comprehensive range of playground equipment made out of this material as well as picnic tables, planters and adventure trails. An outdoor classroom is also under consideration. The company can also help with design, safety surfacing and installation.

If you would like to know how we can help your school develop its playground, then please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com.