How can I reuse or recycle a kids’ trampoline?

trampolineWe’ve had an email from Holly:

Our kids’ trampoline has gone rusty so is unsafe for them to use. We can give the metal legs to scrap but what can we do with the mat?

According to Wikipedia, the mats are usually made from canvas or woven Polypropylene. The latter is recyclable – it’s number 5 plastic – so is in theory recyclable wherever number 5 plastic is collected.

As for reuses, a waterproof mat is always handy in the garden – it could be used as a picnic mat or a groundsheet under a tent. Depending on how tight the weave is, it also might be suitable as a dust sheet to protect floors while painting or the like.

Any other suggestions?

(Photo by kermer)

Related Categories

garden, hobbies, items, sports

Search for other related items



11 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle a kids’ trampoline?”


  1. Bobbie says:

    Could be a shade cloth for seedlings, or throw on a tender plant to protect from freezing. Also could be tacked over a window for shade in the hot summertime, sort of like a solar screen.

  2. Lizzy says:

    The pads round the side could be made into a kneeling pad for gardening, or a few panels of it stuck together at the sides for a squashy mat for the garden.

  3. Mike L says:

    How about a homemade hammock, that might be interesting.

  4. Beth says:

    We cut ours to size and used it as a cover for our kids’ sandbox.

  5. whom ever mad this page did a really nice job

  6. Joanna says:

    We used an old rectangle trampoline to create a vertical garden. We removed the legs (broken and rusted) and hung it up against our wooden fence, covered it with a bamboo screen and hung plants all over it – mainly bromeliads which don’t need soil to grow. I cut small holes in the trampoline and wired them in place to a wire mesh attached behind the trampoline.

  7. Melanie says:

    Trampolines are excellent for creating circular, semi-enclosed gardens. Flip it over. Attach and wrap wire fencing around all but one or two sets of legs. Chicken wire or similar works well. The idea is to leave one or two openings for an entry/exit point or both entry and exit points. Plant a favorite vine or two and train to grow along the wire. This will eventually “enclose” the garden. The springs provide natural plant pots. The spaces between them are perfect for adding colorful annuals or shade loving plants such as hostas or ferns. I added a bench and bird bath to mine.

  8. Charlotte says:

    Hi all,

    We have a load of trampoline mats we want to recycle, but don’t know how to? We are an independent toy company on the outskirts of Northallerton, North Yorkshire that do the spare parts for TP toys so we seem to have a load of these in stock and want them recycling. If anybody local wants them- please let us know.

    Many thanks.



Leave a Reply to Melanie

Your name
Your email (it will not be published. If you want people to contact you, leave your email address in the message too.)
Your website (if you've got one)