Rotarians from the Mount Martha have initiated the Rotary Overseas Recycled Playgrounds Program on the Mornington Peninsula in dismantling some commercial grade playground equipment for transport to developing countries overseas. Already playgrounds have been shipped to Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea.
Initiated in Victoria through several Rotary Clubs, the Overseas Recycled Playgrounds Program has been responsible for shipping thirty-eight (38) recycled playgrounds to countries where these types of children’s play equipment are not freely available.
Mount Martha has been actively involved in this program since early 2019 in the administration, assessment, collection, repair, storage and finally the shipment of many recycled playgrounds to overseas Rotary Clubs for reinstallation in a location.
Investigations and planning for shipments of playgrounds are currently underway to Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Philippines. Our club have international arrangements with Rotary in those countries, and we are excited to investigate and support the options of assisting those Rotary Clubs with the provision of our recycled playgrounds.
Within Victoria there are presently twenty-eight (28) Municipal Councils who are now partners to the Recycled Playgrounds Program, with another four (4) undertaking the inclusion process.
The Mount Martha Rotary Club is aiming to support many other Rotary Clubs in our District and further afield, so the one thousand five hundred playgrounds that are removed each year, can be recycled rather than be processed as scrap metal and be added to landfill. We can process twelve to fifteen playgrounds each year, and more with assistance.
