Till recently, there was a spurt in the number of playground related accidents and fatalities.Even though several playground safety features are incorporated in our playgrounds to make them safer to play on, the hard and unprotected ground proved to be spoilsports to many of us.Falls frequently occur during the course of play and as such, thousands used to get injured or crippled from falls.
But the emergence of playground mulch has changed the scenario for the better.It is an eco-friendly product, unlike many people professes, and is durable and efficient.Rubber mulch is obtained after cleaning used rubber tire treads and granulating them.If spread well in sufficient quantities, it can act as a cushion even if the fall is very heavy and disruptive.
The material is highly reliable since it remains intact even after many years.Pests and weeds cannot destroy it, unlike other mulches.Once installed, you need not worry about replacing and maintaining it.Even heavy rains and winds cannot dislodge it.In addition, colored rubber mulch improves the attractiveness of the playground.This is why people consider playground safety and rubber mulch as blood-brothers.Government authorities are also promoting extensive use of rubber mulch in playgrounds as a safety measure.
Rubber mulch from rubbecycle, an eco friendly product made from used tires. This product is readily available in granular form in different colors and is often used in playgrounds and garden areas. Let’s find out how beneficial this product is.
• Environmental advantages – The discovery of rubber mulch has lead to the recycling of rubber tires which otherwise would have resulted in environmental issue.
• Availability – This product could be bought and delivered at any of the following locations.
• Benefits over other mulches – It’s afact that some oftheorganic mulcheslike pine needles etc tend to decompose fast, leaving back a very nasty smell. They often block the water drainage system after their decay thereby making the atmosphere muddy. On the other hand, rubber mulch facilitates easy draining system of water. It also stops the evaporation of subsoil moisture, thereby retaining useful nutrients.
•Everlasting advantages to a gardener – Rubber mulchprevents the weeds from growing. It stops the pests from spreading. This material does not decay and can withstand rain, wind etc.
A Press Release from PRWEB regarding “Cash for Clunkers” Means More Tires to Recycle into Mulch Says Rubberecycle:
The popular “Cash for Clunkers” program helped the environment, but it also created a surplus of tires that are unsafe for the road. Millions of the tires from clunkers could end up in landfills as a result. Rubberecycle wants to help further the environmental benefits by recycling tires and turning them into mulch products that can be used for playgrounds and landscaping.
Lakewood, NJ October 20, 2009 — RubbeRecycle, a company that recycles tires into mulch for playgrounds, wants to extend the environmental benefits of the popular ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program. The program means over 800,000 cars were traded in for more fuel efficient models. The problem is that there are over 3 million tires from those cars that could end up in landfills.
Used tires can be managed in an environmentally sound manner by making tires into new products and finding new uses.
“RubbeRecycle uses advanced technology to turn tires into new products like playground surfaces, rubber curbing and landscaping mulch,” said Keith Sacks, Vice President of RubbeRecycle.
Cities have been using recycled tire mulch in parks for more than a decade now. The White House recently chose to do the same. They built an environmentally-friendly playground at the nation’s capital. The surface they used is the Rubberecycle’s Mulch, which came recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association and the International Play Equipment Manufacturer’s Association.
“The products made from recycled tires have been shown to be safe for kids and playgrounds. There have been more than a hundred studies over nearly two decades. It’s recommended by the EPA and Consumer Reports has given it two thumbs up. It’s safer than wood mulch, gravel and sand products,” says Sacks.
He went on to say that besides the green aspect, playground safety is a focus: “Playsafer passed the egg test. That is, we dropped an egg from the top of a 14 ft. playground. It landed on our 6-inch cushion of Playsafer, bounced, but did not break,” said Sacks.
The company currently processes between 10,000 and 12,000 tires a day and is designed to handle 2 million scrap tires annually.
About RubbeRecycle
RubbeRecycle introduced top quality rubber surfacing products to the commercial, residential and military markets in 1998. Our playground mulch conforms to all CPSC, ASTM, and IPEMA (The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association) safety guidelines and is ADA approved. The pioneer in the tire recycling industry, RubbeRecycle utilizes the most advanced technology and equipment to recycle tires on site.
Playgrounds are meant for enjoyment. Children wish to play and spend their evenings in the playground. Parents do take greater care in the issues regarding a play area. If the area is not well protected or secured, parents will not allow their children to play there. Gone are the days where people used traditional methods to keep the play area safe. However, with the introduction of rubber mulch, the playground safety has been increased enormously. They offer protection by all means to the people who use the area.
The installation of rubber mulches on their surface will improve the playing conditions. It will reduce the risk of injuries. They are very similar to wood mulch but prepared from the rubber materials that are thrown away. By this way, environment is protected from the toxic substances that are given away by burning the waste rubber materials. All these are converted in to rubber mulch through a special process. They are so soft and do not create any forms of injuries when fallen down. It prevents the growth of weeds and has a longer life period. They are cost effective and offer a pleasant area for all.
Landscape Mulch a derivative of the common rubber mulch. It comes in many colors to suit the tastes of the customer. The material is commonly used in private and public gardens, parks etc to enhance the beauty of the landscape. Being a rubber based product, it cannot be destroyed easily by rains, pests, sunlight, chemical reactions or oil spills. Such durability coupled with its adaptability makes it a favorite to gardeners all around.
Landscape mulch is invariably obtained from used rubber tire treads. The treads are separated from the steel belts and other impurities and made to go under extreme heat and pressure to exclude the chemical remnants contained. The resultant product is granulated, colored differently and packed beautifully. The material is available in every state these days.
The material adds drama and vivid colors to the drab surroundings. The material can hinder the growth of pests and weeds also and thereby cuts down on maintenance charges of your garden. Landscape Mulch is maintenance free and because they stay in their places after installation no matter how the elements of nature behave. If you are not still convinced, ask those who have used it once or visit a garden that uses the material for landscaping. You will definitely return converted.
When a playground is being laid out, the most important concern is the flooring. However, with rubber mulch you can be assured about the safety of your kids. Most of the playgrounds these days choose rubber mulch because of the cushiony softness that it offers all around the year, especially during the winters.
Another advantage of using rubber mulch for playgrounds is that it has a high shock absorption capacity and even if your children fall from a height, you can be assured that they would not get hurt. Giving an artistic appearance to the playground these rubber mulches are easily available and are also easy to install on the playground surfaces.
Being non-toxic in nature your children can enjoy their time playing and you can also leave toddlers around where there is rubber mulch flooring. Another point to be considered is that the rubber mulch does not rot and hence there is no chance that your kids can gain a possible infection or allergy because of the rotting mulches.
Available in different colors,shapes and styles, the rubber mulch apart from increasing the safety of the playground can also give a good appearance to the area.
Sometimes parents cross the line and become sources of pressure to their kids, even in playgrounds. In games and sports competitions organized in playgrounds, for example, parents go to great lengths to ensure that their kids win. There is nothing wrong with teaching kids to become competitive, but it certainly is a different matter if kids are stripped away of the capacity to enjoy themselves, at playgrounds at that.
Lessons from the playground
Parents need to step back a little and let their kids be kids. Letting kids participate in games, win or lose, teaches them priceless lessons. Allowing kids to play with other kids is one way to help them grow up healthy, physically and socially. (more…)
It is true that we all have a bit of the kid inside us and when we take our children, grandchildren or younger siblings to a playground, we would like to play as well. We do in away, but we are not allowed on any of the equipment that is provided. Having playground equipment that can be used by all, and I mean all ages, would be a great leap forward in the enjoyment families can spend together.
A Professor Killingsworth from Pittsburg State University’s Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, thinks the same way and has formed (with other community members) a non-profit group called Credible Arts Therapies. He has said the idea behind a universally accessible playground is to have a place where everyone, regardless of age or disability, can play together on the same equipment. You can read more about this here: http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_178210855.html (more…)
Being such an advocate of rubber mulch, I am really happy to read success stories about rubber mulch applications. I came across one such story today entitled ‘Blue Mulch, Green Park’ about the first playground in the city of Corpus Christi to have rubber mulch installed.
The Kid’s Place playground is the first playground to switch from wood mulch to rubber mulch in a move to becoming a greener city. This is fully backed by the Corpus Christi Career Development Class 2008, who have created community projects to make their city greener. It was twenty volunteers from this class who spread the 62 tons of rubber mulch needed to create this safer and greener playground. (more…)
Think about everything you throw away. Can something else be done with it? Can it be recycled, or can someone else make good use of it?
So don’t throw away or simply burn old clothes, books, kid’s toys, or even furniture, but instead give them to your local charity shop instead. You will be helping other people and the environment too.
Till recently, there was a spurt in the number of playground related accidents and fatalities. Even though several playground safety features are incorporated in our playgrounds to make them safer to play on, the hard and unprotected ground proved to be spoilsports to many of us. Falls frequently occur during the course of play and as such, thousands used to get injured or crippled from falls.
Rubber 
Sometimes parents cross the line and become sources of pressure to their kids, even in 
Being such an advocate of 
Think about everything you throw away. Can something else be done with it? 
