To close the recycling loop, waste tires collected at the November 1999 Tire Event were shredded into crumb rubber. The crumb rubber was then used for a rubber playground mat for Arnold Elementary School in Torrance. A ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by the Mayor of Torrance and the School District Superintendent, was held at the school on December 6, 1999. The speakers addressed the student body about the importance to recycle at school and home. The playground mat showed the benefits of recycled products. After the ceremony, the children tried out their new playground, an activity they had been waiting for since the beginning of the school year. Recycled rubber playground mats were also installed at Wood & Edison Elementary schools that week.