A platoon of 36 new benches made of recycled bottle caps are being erected throughout the city, the Ayuntamiento has announced.
It is part of the “Safe School Environments” initiative. Firstly they aim “to recover public space for pedestrians and create safe play areas around 19 schools,” says the Ayuntamiento. Further, they add that the aim is to enforce safety in roads and to reduce pollution in these spaces for the benefit, especially, of children.
The project provides for the installation of these new benches, with one or two close to each school, and a budget of €15,588 for this campaign. The benches are made by using recycled bottle caps. They have a vibrant multi-colour design with the intention of promoting sustainability and recycling to schoolchildren.
The benches are made of hot galvanised steel, and the seat and back are made of 100% recycled polyethylene. Which is a thermoplastic polymer. They don’t chip or crack, claims the Ayuntamiento. They are also resistant to woodworm and termites.
Additionally, the Ayuntamiento claims, they are five times more durable than wooden equivalents and are also “graffiti-proof”, though the Ayuntamiento does not explain how. Their weight of 35 kilos is the equivalent of 4,300 bottles, thus reducing CO2 emissions caused by incineration, or pollution through landfill disposals, claims the Ayuntamiento.
Three schools have already implemented the initiative.
Schools that have already implemented the initiative are:
- La Fontenta
- Professor Sanchis Guarner and Antonio Machado
- Rodríguez Fornos
This week, two further schools will have benches installed; the CEIP in Benimàmet and also the CEIP Professor Sebastián Burgos in Jesus.
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