PLASTIC AT PLAY

The Washington-based American Plastics Council has donated two plastic playgrounds to grade schools in Portland, Ore., and expects to install a third. APC was approached by Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services in July to hel p the city increase its plastic bottle collection. As a result, APC challenged the city to increase curbside collection 18 percent before the end of 1996. With every 6 percent increase, a playground would be donated to a school. Eq uipment that was obsolete or inadequate was replaced with PlayVenture-brand playgrounds. PlayVenture products are made by Recreation Resource of Salem, Ore. The playgrounds are made of post-consumer high density polyethylene and ar e designed to resist damage.