While newspaper drives still rank as the top fundraising activity, rubber drives help the environment and the recycled output can directly benefit the school.

Rubber drive

It is a great idea to introduce the idea of holding a rubber drive. The results are tangible things that the children can appreciate. You won’t have to force them to join your next rubber drive.

Have students collect as much recyclable rubber as they can: old tires, balled up rubber bands, and even old windshield wipers. Not only can this help clean out many garages, you also encourage them to help the environment.

The buzz that this new concept will create could encourage parents and alumni to get involved and learn more about rubber mulch. Below are 4 ways how rubber drives and its recycled output can help the school.

1. For the school playground

Rubber mulch is the safest playground flooring by far. Not only does it prevent injuries, it also keeps dirt levels low and it is definitely non-toxic. With different colors to choose from, you don’t have to invest so much in repainting the playground.

2. Gym flooring

Rubber mulch also makes great gym floorings. It does a wonderful job absorbing impact, reducing the occurrence of common sports injuries. Rubber mulch is also weatherproof. It allows you to save more compared with using wood or asphalt, which easily deteriorates when exposed to rain and cold.

3. Lab flooring

The laboratory is a magnet for accidents. Rubber mulch can reduce the number of broken equipment, which can help you save more of your budget. Also, rubber mulch can act as an insulator to absorb excess heat.

4. Landscaping

Landscaping doesn’t have to be expensive. There is a type of rubber mulch made especially for landscaping with different colors to choose from. Rubber mulch is a wiser option than the usual wood mulch because rubber doesn’t rot. It also keeps moisture in and lessens unnecessary soil erosion.

Most of the bridle paths around the area where I live, are all covered with stones and gravel, which to be honest is some of the cheapest, dirtiest and sharpest type of material to be put anywhere. I’ve seen this material being used on building sites, to be put in the footings of a building and nothing else, because that is all it is good for. I am also sure this happens all around the world.

The other thing that is used on some of the bridle paths, is wooden mulch. This is thought to be good for the environment around it and for the horses that are using on it, but we should all know by now that wooden mulch can be expensive to use and needs a great deal of cleaning from a horses foot. Also it can cause fungal infections, not just in the horses foot, but also in the plants near where it is laid.

Another problem with these bridle paths, is those idiots that like to tear up and down them on motorbikes and mountain bikes. The mountain bikes are not too bad, but the others spread all that has been laid, far and wide, which does not leave a great deal of covering left for what it was put there for the horses.

One thing that local authorities or private land owners could do, is lay down rubber mulch or even a recycled rubber compound. Personally I would use the rubber mulch granules, the horses will love the way it gives them a bit of extra bounce, the fact that they won’t fungal infections in their feet, from it and the riders and owners will see and feel the benefit. It does not hurt as much if you fall off either.

Motorbike riders will hate it, as riding on it is not an easy thing to do. We have all seen or heard of racing drivers and riders, having no control of their vehicle, because they have hit the rubber balls that come from their tires. Well rubber mulch kind of works in the same way, wheels just don’t seem to get on with it, so it’s ideal for keeping them pesky trial bikes and joy riders off of the bridle paths.

Another plus is that you don’t get that horrible smell that lingers in the air, from wooden mulch and even that nasty gravel, the rubber mulch will last longer and the horses’ joints are not being jolted as much, as they really do feel the extra spring in their step.

This is only in shops in a small town though, when I started to look further from home, I found that the only places to find rubber mulch, were the larger garden centers. This was all well and good, but the prices where not at a competitive rate, they would not make any concessions for a large order and would not consider a discount of any sorts.

The wooden mulch on the other hand, was at a very competitive rate, is this because they can produce it at very little cost or because they will be selling you the same again, a while later. The recycled rubber mulch though, will last a hundred times longer and not cause fungal infections in your plants, so you end up back at the garden centre, buying more plants or something to stop the fungus, created by the product they sold you in the first place.

Another place I tried to buy rubber mulch was at a builders centre, this was another disappointment, but probably expected when I thought a bit more about it. I do think that with more people changing to rubber mulch, the builder centers are missing out on a lot of business. If they do pick up on this though, maybe the prices in the garden centers will become a bit more competitive.

Buying rubber mulch online is another way of getting hold of that elusive recycled wonder, for your garden. Online you will find better prices, but I found it even more hassle to actually get it.

So in conclusion even though the prices may not be that great, the garden centers are probably the closest places, with the most stock, that is readily available for you to buy your rubber mulch and have fun and a great looking garden.