Garden Recycling Ideas for Walkway Paths

Brick

• Demolition is a common part of renovations. Builders knock down old buildings to make way for the new, and often the old are made of brick. Old brick is often free for anyone who does not mind doing the work of picking them up and hauling them away. The unique character of the old brick makes each step different in a walkway. Arrange the bricks in patterns for a visually interesting walkway or in straight lines if you want the walkway to look old.

Rubber

• Public playgrounds often use recycled rubber tires as the base for the playground floor. Recyclers take old tires and grind them down into small pieces until they create rubber mulch. This will not decompose nearly as fast as wood chips. However, since rubber does deteriorate over time and rainwater will leach away some of the toxic elements used in making rubber, keep rubber mulch away from food gardens and contained within the parameters of the pathway.

Plastics

• Recycled plastics such as grocery bags and soda bottles make handsome planks of decking. Design a walkway through your garden with the plastic lumber to keep traffic off the ground. This walkway is especially conducive to damp areas where rainwater might be slow to drain. Since the plastic decking does not have the same strength as wood, restrict the use of it to low walkways and use wood for elevated areas.

Glass

• Sellers of recycled glass aggregates take old glass and break it into pieces. Of course, the glass is sharp and not suitable for as a material for a walkway, so they tumble it with sand until the edges are smooth like beach glass. You can buy glass aggregate in individual colors as well as mixtures, depending on your desires. Fill in the boundaries of your walkway with the inert glass for a striking effect that will not harm the environment.