Family gathered around a picnic tabl

By Gerald L Dlubala

The weekend was predicted to be perfect, and started with the good feelings that only a few days off, great weather and a planned outing can provide -  the packing begins in anticipation of spending quality time relaxing on park benches or enjoying meals on metal picnic tables at a park or campground, free from household chores like grass cutting and car washing.

You can feel it, even anticipating the drive, with windows open and fresh air filtering through like your personal stream of good vibes. But before you hit the road, you should probably give a quick glance at a couple of

These plastic bottles don't need to be here - they can become recycled plastic picnic tables and any number of products

By Alysa Kleinman

About 270 million Americans visit national parks each year. They explore mountains and woods, see wildlife firsthand and discover culture. But along the way, they also generate 100 million pounds of trash. That's could fill quite a few recycling receptacles and park trash cans.

What can be done to solve this problem where visitors come to a park to enjoy the natural splendor but generate more than

Festivals at parks means more people and more litte

It's the start of festival time at parks and time to have plenty of strategies and park trash cans ready for the crowds and the litter bugs.

Spring is here and the season for outdoor festivals, fun times, great music…and alas, tons of trash. Park officials would be wise to have plenty of park trash cans on hand because for some reason, when it comes to crowds, common sense is usually the first thing that gets thrown out.

Take the impromptu 4:20 festival that is held every year at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The event is held on "Hippie Hill" on April 20 and celebrates the smoking of a certain illegal substance.

Tens of thousands of p

Litter impacts property values. Add more commercial trash cans where necessary. Photo by WoodleyWonderworks - Flck

If you are a park or site facility manager who needs to justify adding more commercial trash cans or park trash cans, consider the loss in property values caused by unsightly piles of garbage.

Excessive litter is not only ugly; it will cost homeowners and businesses some major money in the long run.

According to a Keep America Beautiful study conducted in 2009, here are the indirect