Playground mulch is used to keep the playground surface tidy and clean, without sacrificing that softness that parents and children alike enjoy for those all-so-hyper tumbling acrobats.
Normally marked by a playground border, there are two popular alternatives to a muddy, grassy or sandy playground, wood mulch and rubber mulch.
Anybody who has tromped around in an overgrown public playground that looks like the grass has turned into a jungle, or where the pathways are usually so sloppy with muddy puddles that it’s impossible to keep from getting soaked or dirty up to the knees, has seen the worst case scenario; which is why a lot of the time, cities will make them from sand.
But if you have seen your babies legs totally flee bitten after playing in a public sandpit, or just the overall mess that it makes (especially getting sand in your shoes), not to mention the bigger kids that go flying around the playground area like wild animals, it really takes a lot for a mom or dad to get in there and be a kid too.
That is why people came up with the wood mulch and rubber mulch alternatives for playground areas; let those children play in the sandpit, who really want too, and try keeping animals out with a knee high fence, and presto, a more hygienic playground than originally mentioned but be aware that cats use sandboxes like they are litter boxes. There is little you can do to keep cats out other than covering the box when not in use.
Separating the spaces with sand in one part and the playground area in another is no new idea; in fact anyone who visits a traditional grass park will find there is almost always a sandpit or a playground border if they are not already one thing.
Rubber mulch or wood mulch depending on your preference, feel as good as grass or sand on the feet, with wood having a warm cozy sensation and rubber a bouncy one, but what really distinguishes the two from sand or grass are need and look.
Wood mulch will need to be replenished from time to time, especially depending on the depth, but as it is a renewable resource, it is generally seen as a more ecologically correct alternative to rubber since it actually replenishes the soil with nutrients after breaking down.
Rubber playground mulch is usually made from recycled tires, but the revolution comes with companies specialized in recycling, with new and improved colors, shapes and sizes of rubber mulch, from styles such as redwood and pine to brick and granite, or just plain old blue and green, there are a range of possibilities nowadays that make rubber mulch superior in many ways, not just looks, but life expectancy and excellent reuse of a waste material.
With those surfaces that already use a playground border, either wood or rubber mulch can just be applied right on top of whatever is already in use, with a 5/8 for good measure, offering a far more affordable alternative in terms of upkeep than grass, sand or wood mulch.
Laying down a rubber mulch is getting cheaper and cheaper, with this kind of approach, opening up a wider range of possibilities for playground surfaces at restaurants, zoos, office entrances, shopping malls, or even as swimming pool decks or nature trails; imagination is the key.
Rubber Mulch Safety Concern
There is a safety concern about some rubber mulch leaching zinc into the soil which could harm plants and pollute water though it appears that the breakdown takes many years (25 or more) to occur. For a path, walk or playground cover, recycled rubber mulch is a good solution. If you are not connected to city water you also might want to study this further. See the CPSC guidelines (adobe .pdf file) which states:
Shredded Tires: No impact attenuation tests have been conducted by CPSC on these materials. The size of the particles and the method by which they are produced may vary from one manufacturer to another. Therefore, consumers seeking to install such materials as a protective surfacing should request test data from the supplier showing the critical height of the material when tested in accordance with ASTM F1292. In addition, a guarantee should be obtained from the supplier that the material is free from steel wires or other contaminants.
Recycled rubber mulch is simply superior in playground architecture today, because it will not break down over time, it may take at least 200 years for a single layer of rubber to decompose without chemical assistance, suffocating unwanted vegetation and keeping maintenance down to a minimum.
People can stomp over rubber playground mulch for decades and decades, and that stuff isnt going to cost a cent to upkeep, plus, its bouncy, looks cool, does the job of providing a nice place to tumble on and best of all, it is made from stuff our society throws away.
So if you are looking for a sustainable approach to playground mulch, the big two alternative playground surfaces to grass and sand are made from wood mulch (for those looking to do regular upkeep and replenish the soil nutrients) and rubber mulch (for those looking to never do hardly any upkeep and still look good decade after decade).
Keeping our future sustainable starts with our children, and playground mulch could be their fist lessons, taking action is your choice, today.
