WAYNE TOWNSHIP— Imagine creating a playground entirely out of plastic bottle caps.
Thanks to a passionate educator, dedicated volunteers and a community that came together, it's happening at Wayne Township Preschool.
It all started when Rachel Lamb, a teacher at the preschool, recognized a need for her students, particularly those with special needs, to have access to a more inclusive and engaging outdoor learning environment.
"I have a passion for students who have special needs, and I just wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to have the resources and the experiences of being outside just like anybody else," said Lamb, affectionately known as Ms. Lamb by her students.
Her vision was an outdoor learning area where children could build gross motor skills, engage in imaginative play and interact with natural elements while supporting their individual developmental needs.
"At first it was overwhelming," Lamb admitted. "I thought—how am I supposed to collect hundreds of bottle caps?"
That’s when opportunity met community action.
Rachel learned about a sustainable recycling initiative through Phoenix Closures in Greencastle and GreenTree Plastics in Evansville.
Phoenix Closures donated hundreds of pounds of plastic caps, while GreenTree Plastics agreed to transform those caps, along with thousands more collected by volunteers, into playground equipment.
"Once all the community members started bringing in bags and bags of bottle caps, I realized we were a lot closer than I thought," said Lamb.
In total, more than 900 pounds of plastic caps and lids were collected enough to be exchanged for a full set of playground resources, including benches, picnic tables and sensory tables.
"The outdoor space will give us the opportunity to provide all our teachers and students the appropriate resources needed to pair with learning in their own classrooms," Lamb said.
The project quickly became a community movement. Students, families and staff from Wayne Township Preschool worked side by side with volunteers from the Wayne Township Education Foundation to collect caps and spread the word.
The goal is to have the new learning area open and ready by spring break 2026.
