• It should be non-toxic 
• Should stay in place
• Should be odor free 
• Should be quick drying
• Should be non staining/non abrasive
• Should not freeze
• Should be ADA approved 
• Should not breed or attract insect
• Requires minimum maintenance
• Guaranteed to last a lifetime
• Reduce dust and mud
• Should not rot or mold

 LANDSCAPING

Neatly mulched beds improve the appearance of any landscape. But, apart from appearance enhancement, it provides many other benefits. Mulch protects the plant root systems and adds much needed nutrients to the soil   Mulch slows the erosion of the topsoil. Though applying mulch may seem like a chore, it can actually save effort later in the season.  Mulch helps to prevent weeds and retain moisture, thus one can enjoy the garden than spending time picking the weeds.  For the mulch to look its best, one must choose the best material and apply it properly. 

The use of rubber mulch has been on the rise for the last few months for a variety of uses.  First of all, it is a byproduct obtained from used rubber tires.  Old rubber tires had once become an environmental hazard as millions of them were getting accumulated all over our country.  But the invention that the rubber treads of the tires can be put to use as rubber mulch saved the situation from getting out of hand.

Rubber mulch is superior from other mulches like leaves, wood shavings, etc on many counts.  Unlike organic mulches, it would not decay.  It prevents weed and pest growth too.  In addition, due to its durability, it would serve you for long years thereby removing the necessity for regular replacements.

Being available all over the country, you need not worry about how to obtain the material.  You can look up in Internet stores or local vendors depending on your convenience.  Those who used rubber mulch once would vouch for its durability, usability and convenience of the material.  New avatars of the ubiquitous material like colored mulch, playground mulch etc are also gaining widespread acceptance among the populace due to their versatility and affordability.

When we look at the things that recycled rubber is being used for today, there are quite a lot of them, but are there enough?

There are things like rubber mulch, containers (large and small), rubber compounds to cover playgrounds and other types of flooring and many more things, but are we really using recycled rubber to its full potential?

We could have furniture that is partly made from recycled rubber, as long as it is coated with a flame retardant substance. What about using it in the stage building industry? These are just two ideas that I’m sure would need a lot more thought and would probably never happen, but why are they not worth thinking about?

There are so many other different uses for recycled rubber, that no one has even thought of yet and there is money making opportunities out there, even one which while writing this I have thought of myself, but I’m not going to tell you yet, because I want to check it out first.

How about the fairings on motorcycles? Okay they may weigh a bit more than the usual type of lightweight things that are used to make your bike go faster, but they would not smash to bits when hit, causing more destruction and pain than necessary. Golf carts, there is an idea, they don’t go fast, there not prone to having accidents and they are not viably eco friendly in the way they are made. After all most of them are made out of plastic or fiber glass.

If you can make a sturdy container, that is going to be put on a ship and bashed about in rough seas. Then why not make a pair of crutches out of recycled rubber? If not the crutches themselves, then what about the grips on the handles or the bits on the bottom to stop you from slipping about? They are made of rubber any way, so why not recycled rubber?

There has to be thousands more things that we could use recycled rubber for and we need to start using recycled rubber for these non-existent things or we are going to be left with piles of it, or even putting it into our atmosphere, which we are trying to stop by recycling it, aren’t we? So let’s find some more uses for it.

Using whole tires as garden containers, actually helps keep your plants warm in the winter months, as they help keep the soil warm, and the therefore keeping frost away from the roots. You can also use whole tires to create swings for children. You should be able to find plenty of places and people who would be happy to give you their old useless tires for free.

Of course, there are only so many whole tires that you can place in your back garden, whether as garden containers or play swings, before it starts to look like some sort of army assault course! But there are others ways you can use recycled tires in your garden by using a sprinkler hose or rubber soil, which are both made from recycled tires.

There are recycled sprinkler hoses on the market, that are made from 65% recycled tires, that can be very efficient and environmentally friendly way to water your plants, with the pin holes running along their surface, dispersing water over your plants.

You may have heard on the grapevine that rubber mulch is bad for your plants and soil, but let me tell you now that most plants actually benefit from zinc, and the small amounts of chemicals in rubber soils, are mainly removed in the process of creating it, so there are literally no chemicals left to leech into the soil and kill your plants, as the naysayers would have you believe.

If you are worried about your more ‘delicate’ plants, then you can consider using rubber mulch as borders around your trees and shrubs, or as garden borders to give an extra dimension and color to your garden, but talking to a rubber mulch expert should also put your mind at rest – you can find some experts right here: http://www.rubbermulch.com

First of all the rubber recycling process involves the collection of these discarded tires. Tires left on landfill sites or burn harm the environment, so a much better way is to recycle this abundance of rubber. A whole host of new markets have opened up recently to make good use of this rubber, one being the tire mulch industry. Recycling rubber tires not only helps the environment, but the economy too, as people need to be employed for the recycling process of rubber.

To make tire mulch the rubber from tires needs to be made into a granular substance, with all the steel and other fiber removed. The whole process is called devulcanization. The tires need to be shredded, and then they are passed through the devulcanization process, which means the rubber does not lose its desirable properties of elasticity and insulation – essential elements of tire mulch used for playground surfaces, landscapes and equine surfacing.

The rubber has to be treated with heat, chemicals and softening agents to keep these elasticity and insulation properties, so that the tire mulch can be used for its intended purposes. It takes time and expertise to get this process just right.

As I have already mentioned, this is a great way to recycle a common waste product, which left in its current state is very harmful to the environment. So make sure if you have any discarded tires, you get them to a recycling facility. After all, there are only so many tires that you can make into tire swings, or ‘interesting’ places to plant flowers in!

To see what tire mulch looks like in its finished form, a great site to visit is Rubber Mulch

Walking around the other day was very interesting, the scenery, what I could see of it was beautiful, the soda cans were being used by young snail’s as a playground, plastic bags in the hedgerows that rats where using to play hide and seek with, and multi colored bags flying up in the air creating what some might consider as modern art in our trees surrounding the environment.

The snails, seemed to be enjoying themselves especially, the one who was stuck, kind of half way in, and half way out. He was wriggling about faster than I have ever seen a snail move, in his natural environment.

My dog had found a pizza box and started to chew on it until every single piece, had been slobbered on or decimated. Thinking I would like to see something nicer, I decided to go to a local reservoir, on route I thought, would be as nice as it would have been, like any other time, although I hadn’t been for quite a while, and the environment had changed considerably.

It really is a beautiful walk, there’s a path that the trees, seem to hug you as you walk through, and under them, you carry yourself along this tunnel of wilderness, with the odd bicycle thrown into the hedge, a few other cans of pop and alcohol decorating the scenery, with the glisten every now and then of a ring pull.

Ooh! I thought, looking too where my dog had started to sniff round a fence post that had smashed glass around the bottom of it, I’d better put you on the lead, and why don’t people want to look after the environment any more.

Pick up rubbish take it home or put it in a bin near their home, even better, not drop it at all, life for our environment would be that much nicer. So I picked up what I could and used one of my dogs poop bags to put the rubbish in, to carry till I found a bin.

I guess what that person was saying, is that our environment needs to be looked after by us, as well as our local authorities. After all it is our environment.

If I had seen a discard tire, I would have made sure it got into the hands of the people at Rubber Mulch, so it could be recycled and put to good use.

Why is rubber mulch a better alternative to wood mulch?

To start of with, rubber mulch is a really environmentally friendly type of matter to have in your garden, and an indicator to all people who see it, that you are helping the environment!

But I expect, you are more interested in the whether rubber mulch can actually do a better job than wood mulch. Well test results from ConsumerReports.org show that rubber mulch has a lot of staying power, even when you flood it with hose, or direct a leaf blower at the rubber mulch it does not shift. The same, I’m afraid cannot be said for wood mulch, which floated off and blew all over the place.

Rubber mulch will not provide nutrients to the soil, like wood mulch, but it does protect against weeds, and a worthy mulch to use around perennials and trees. That, and rubber mulch is guaranteed for a lifetime (well Rubber Recycle’s Landscape mulch is), so it is really easy to maintain, unlike the annual wood mulch replacement hassle!

How do I put rubber mulch on my garden?

Rubber mulch is very easy to put on your garden in 5 easy steps.

1. First choose a color of rubber mulch that compliments your garden. You can pop over to Rubber Mulch for some great choices.
2. Clear the area that you want to mulch by getting rid of pebbles, twigs and any old wooden mulch.
3. Get rid of any existing weeds and treat the area with herbicide
4. Lay a weed fabric over the area, to prevent any weed growth. Notes this most not be plastic or you will suffocate any thing that will grow there
5. Lay 1 to 2 inch layer of rubber mulch over the area. That’s it – you are done!

Starting a new small environmental friendly habit today can really help ensure the future of the planet, especially if you can encourage your friends, family and acquaintances to do the same. Here are seven things that you could start doing today.

1. Instead of using paper cups, paper napkins and towels, tissues (for your blowing your nose), try using mugs that you can wash up, cloth napkins and towels you can reuse, and handkerchiefs that you can wash. This way you will make sure that you are creating less waste going into the environment on a daily basis
2. Think of more environmentally friendly ways to get to work, maybe by car pooling with a colleague, so there are fewer cars on the road. Other considerations could be walking, cycling, taking the bus or train. Whatever the option, one less car on the road is always a good thing, as it reduces emissions into the environment.
3. You can conserve energy by making sure lights are switched off when you are not in a particular room, taking shorter showers, or even just switching the television off for an hour.
4. Another good energy saving tip is to use these CFC light bulbs (you know those spiral looking ones). Even though they are a little more expensive they do last longer and are better for the environment.
5. When you go out to the park, or beach, or just a walk around your local area, why not make the environment a better place by picking up and throwing away (or even recycling) any bottles or litter you may find.
6. You can buy recycled items where you can and also look at second hand goods like furniture, clothes and cars. You can get them cheaper and you will be surprised at the quality and variety available.
7. Lastly a great little tip is to make sure that your tires are properly inflated! Tires that have the correct pressure, both last longer with less wear and actually save a little fuel consumption. Remember you can always recycle worn out tires, as many wondrous things can be made from recycled tires like rubber mulch.

All over the world defense systems designed for our safety are basically not good enough. So what if anything can be done to control, or even calm our environment and the changes that will occur to it in the future?

Remember the environment is everything around us, its terra firma itself. If we want to avoid disaster then we have to look after our environment, because this is the only environment we have to live on and with.

For instance look at what happened in New Orleans and the devastating effect of the hurricane which hit the Indonesian Islands on Boxing Day? After all this did not just affect humans and one coastline, but was felt for many thousands of miles around the world, let alone the affect it had on the wildlife.

The disaster in New Orleans was, when you think about it was already predicted. The levies were not built for the fun of it, they were built to protect against flooding. This flooding happened anyway, but a lot later than the designers thought, this is why they did not cope and such devastation occurred.

Does this not tell us that most, if not all, the defense systems we have in place for natural disasters are either well out of date, or need to be upgraded to the highest of standards. After all, the changing environment will not wait for us to talk and decide if these changes are needed, it will just happen.

It is not just the weather fronts that are creating changes to our environment, but the amount of CO2 that we are pumping into the atmosphere, we rape and plunder the rainforests and pollute the seas, which all help our environment breathe and live, not to forget feed us with essential foods.

There are several actions we can be taking to save our environment, one option is to make sure we recycle rubber tires, not burn them and release even more toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Lots of good things can be made from recycled tires including rubber mulch

Local councils, states and governments now all push for recycling facilities and collections, so the excuses for choosing not to recycle are in decline. Really, we should feel socially responsible to recycle the waste we personally produce.

After all, if the earth becomes un-inhabitable due to global warming, where will we live? (That is to say, if our own disregard for the environment hasn’t already killed us.)

How hard is it to reuse plastic bags, instead of getting new ones every time you shop? Granted, the habit of carrying plastic bags around may take a little time to form, but persist and you will have just formed a great environmentally conscious habit. You can be proud of yourself that you are doing something to help the environment. Remember, if everyone started doing small things like these to help the environment, a huge positive impact would be made.

Putting aside tins, bottles, paper and cardboard packaging from everyday consumption for roadside collection, or for taking down to your local recycling facility, is another way of getting that satisfaction that you are helping the environment. You could make these tasks a family event and get the kids involved, helping them become more environmentally conscious as well.

Some other non daily waste items that you can choose to recycle, or get rid off responsibly include tires, white goods and computers.

Together we can make the world a better place, but really it is down to the personal daily choices that we all make. So make sure you make the right choices and start to recycle today!

Rubber Mulch is doing their part in helping the environment by recycling tires and turning them into rubber mulch, playground surfacing and arena footing..