Uses for Rubber Mulch

Playground Surface

• Rubber mulch makes an excellent playground surface. It is soft, cannot cause splinters the way wood chips or mulch might and won't attract insects. Old-style playground asphalt often resulted in skinned knees, but that won't happen with rubber mulch playgrounds. Shredded rubber also protects children during impact -- a 6ix-inch depth of rubber mulch protects as well as a 1-foot layer of wood mulch. Rubber playground mulch requires only raking for maintenance and will not easily be blown away in the wind, since rubber is a bit weightier than wood mulch.

Rubber Landscaping Mulch

• Rubber mulch is also ideal for landscaping uses in any areas where traditional wood mulch could be used. It will not decay the way wood mulch will over time, meaning it will last a lot longer. Insects also won't infest and eat it since, well, it's rubber. Even though made from recycled tires, it is available in many colors, including the usual wood mulch colors -- similar to light-colored wood chips -- black, dark reds and even bright blue. The color variety varies by manufacturer.

Horse Arena and Athletic Track footing

• Manufacturers of rubber mulch claim it is also quite good for horse-racing tracks and athletic tracks. The mulch can be mixed with sand or other track surfacing to create suitable traction. Rubber mulch provides shock absorption to prevent wear and tear on legs and muscles. The rubber won't break down or turn muddy in inclement weather, which means the track will maintain safety levels much better than muddy, dirt-based tracks.

Other Things to Know About Rubber Mulch

• Rubber mulch is considered clean and non-toxic by its manufacturers. Colors mixed into the rubber are non-toxic. Nearly all of the steel from steel-belted radial tires is removed during the mulch-making process. Rubber mulch should be raked once in a while for maintenance but requires little other attention. Some companies compress rubber mulch into common shapes that would be useful around the home and playground -- mulch "rings" for around the base of trees; rubber mulch "timbers" for landscaping trim or playground borders; mulch "mats" for areas such as underneath slides. Common forms of rubber mulch are available at home improvement stores; more variety is available through manufacturers' websites.