Wood Gives Way To Plastic At Park

Wooden walkways in Yellowstone National Park are being replaced by “plastic timber” made of recycled detergent containers, milk jugs and the like.

It’s a part of a movement called the “Greening of Yellowstone,” a series of environmentally friendly projects, said park spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews.

“It’s a way to use recyclables … in a positive way from materials that may otherwise end up in a landfill,” she said.

The main boardwalk area currently receiving plastic timber is at Old Faithful. The plastic planks there alone equal about 4 million plastic containers, according to a news release.

The plastic timber has the general look and texture of wood, and Matthews said it is just as durable as wood. It is waterproof and not affected by geothermal features at Yellowstone. She also said it blends well with the scenery.

Thirty other national parks are replacing wood with plastic timber, Matthews said.