A radical new idea to stock playgrounds with scrap materials such as wood, tyres, rope and tools could see Sydney children getting their hands dirty building their own adventure environments.

The concept of Junkyard Playgrounds is one of five Big Ideas finalists in the category of ‘small move, big impact’ for the 2025 Committee for Sydney, Sydney Summit, put forward by creative place-maker, Bethan Donnelly.

Ms Donnelly says unstructured play helps children explore creativity and problem solving.

“Children often have unparalleled access to digital technology, which can have positive and negative impacts, but if we are dragging them off screens and social media, this is an alternative that is going to capture their imagination.

“Junkyard Playgrounds could be set up in existing playgrounds or unused land providing a supervised environment to explore risk, foster independence, resourcefulness and collaboration—skills essential for navigating tomorrow’s challenges.

“Not only can get kids get a little dirt on their hands but it’s a hands-on education about sustainability and the circular economy.

“All young people should have the opportunity to create childhood memories building makeshift bike tracks, skateboard ramps or whatever they can think of really. We need to create more public spaces for adventurous, muddy, and risky play, especially as Sydney embraces more high-density living,” Ms Donnelly said.

Committee for Sydney CEO Eamon Waterford said it was a great example of how ‘outside the box’ thinking could have a big impact.

“An important part of growing up is making mistakes and working it out for yourself through physical and challenging play.

“Junkyard playgrounds are thriving in cities like Copenhagen and Tokyo, showing us how adventurous play helps kids thrive in highly urban environments.

“As the government focuses on unlocking housing for Sydney’s future families, we must also ask: where will these children play? High-density living demands imaginative, engaging public and communal spaces that foster creativity, adventure and collaboration.

“Obviously for junkyard playgrounds to become a reality, it requires further investigation, support and investment from community organisations, government and business, but the whole purpose of the Big Ideas competition is to spark these kinds of conversations and collaboration,” Mr Waterford said.

The Big Ideas winners will be showcased at the Sydney Summit on Tuesday, 4 February at the ICC Sydney.