FREEPORT, TX – A new recycled plastic playground is now officially open, providing opportunities for fun and education to beachgoers at Surfside Jetty Park.
Fourteen local petrochemical companies, all members of the Brazoria County Petrochemical Council (BCPC), contributed more than $200,000 to provide an ADA-accessible playground made from recycled plastic. The nautically-themed toys encourage climbing, sliding and swinging while emphasizing the importance of recycling.
“This playground provides yet another great attraction to Brazoria County and helps remind beachgoers how critical it is to properly dispose of waste,” said BCPC Community Outreach Chair Trish Thompson. “Plastic is vital to keeping our world healthy and safe, and we all need to do our part to ensure that plastic waste is recycled and disposed of correctly.”
Signs at the park, and a recycling receptacle shaped like a shark, encourage visitors to place plastic bottles and other recyclable materials in the correct place, rather than letting it get into the environment.
“To have the recycled plastic theme here at the beach, there couldn’t be a more relevant message,” said Brazoria County Parks and Recreation Director Bryan Frazier. “As valuable as plastic is in our everyday lives, we need the message out there that it has to be disposed of appropriately. I can’t think of a more appropriate use of recycled plastic than for children to enjoy, have some physical activity while they are down here on the beach, and then to talk about how to appropriately dispose of plastic so that it stays where it needs to stay.”
Judge Matt Sebesta agreed, saying the playground demonstrates what can be achieved when government, industry and communities work together.
“This is a wonderful partnership when all of us can come together as a community and do something really nice like this for the folks who are visiting the beach,” he said. “It’s a wonderful contribution from industry and something we can all be proud of.”
The companies that donated are LyondellBasell, Freeport LNG, Dow, MEGlobal Americas Inc., Chevron Phillips Chemical, Olin, Port Freeport, DSM, BASF, Vopak, Shintech, K-Bin, INEOS and Phillips 66.
For editorial information contact:
Trish Thompson, MEGlobal Corporate Communications Leader– thompspd@meglobal.biz/832-802-9767
Sharon Trower, Brazoria County Public Information Officer – SharonT@brazoriacountytx.gov/979-864-1596
About the BCPC
The Brazoria County Petrochemical Council is comprised of 26 companies with manufacturing, storage, and/or transportation operations in Brazoria County, Texas that produce 1000s of raw materials and intermediate products that impact the quality of all our lives. The annual combined economic impact for these companies is approximately $4 billion+. The local industry employs over 11,000 direct employees and 6,800 contractors. Brazoria County is located south of Houston, TX. To learn more, visit www.BrazoriaCountyPetrochemicalCouncil.org or connect on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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