Rubber mulch is a popular choice for children's playgrounds, but many parents are unaware of its potential dangers.
One parent who recently reached out on Reddit for advice on where to buy the mulch to fill in around their children's play structure was met with a flurry of replies that urged them to seriously reconsider.
"We have that at our community park..smells like melting rubber in the summer and it gets hot," one commenter replied. While another told the parent that they had decided not to use rubber mulch after finding out it was "possibly toxic."
After reading all the comments, the parent shared that they had changed their mind, writing, "I keep getting more good reasons to move away from it."
Those good reasons include the dangers that the mulch poses to children, including its ability to burn delicate skin when it heats up under the summer sun. Additionally, research has shown that mulch made from recycled tires contains harmful levels of several toxins. When used in playgrounds, these toxins could harm both children and their parents. Furthermore, as the rubber breaks down, these toxins could also leach into the environment, which can negatively impact soil health and pollute our drinking water.
Rubber mulch is often used to control weeds, but research has shown that it is not as effective as more natural mulch options such as wood chips, per Washington State University. Wood chips or other natural mulch options are often used in xeriscaping, a landscaping technique that aims to reduce irrigation and conserve water. Xeriscaping also encourages the use of native plants to improve soil health and increase biodiversity.
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Rewilding your yard using native plants is cost-effective, as they need significantly less water than a traditional lawn. Additionally, people who have native gardens spend less time on yard maintenance and more time enjoying the native wildlife that these gardens support, including birds, bees, and butterflies.
Rubber mulch can also ignite, which makes it a really bad option for people living in fire-prone areas.
"It's in the playground behind my house and tracks in with the kids everyday. I clean up rubber bits all over the house. It's also flammable," another commenter added.
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