By Dac Collins. April 12, 2018. A report published by Nature’s Way Resources, an organic compost and mulch supplier based in Conroe, Texas, warns consumers of the dangers of using rubber mulch in their yards and gardens. This type of mulch, which is made primarily from recycled tires, is sold at gardening and home improvement stores across the country.
There are a number of alleged benefits to using rubber mulch that are advertised wherever it is sold. The report cites independent studies and outside research to disprove these allegations.
For example, a number of rubber mulch suppliers state that the product is good for playgrounds and safe for children. Responding to this claim, the report alludes to one study which found “that the surface temperature of rubber tire mulch can exceed that of a black asphalt parking lot, even reaching as high as 172 degrees in one day.” The report cites another study by the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, which “discovered rubber mulches to be a considerable fire hazard,” but “found that organic mulch fires were not common.”
Another alleged benefit, according to rubber mulch manufacturers and tire companies, is that the product is safe for flowers, plants and pets. Responding to this allegation, the report cites research conducted at Bucknell University, which “found that the leachate from ground tires can kill entire aquatic communities of algae, zooplankton, snails and fish,” and that, “even at low concentrations it can cause reproductive problems and precancerous lesions.”
The comprehensive, eight-page report addresses over a dozen additional claims made by rubber mulch manufacturers seeking to push their product on unsuspecting consumers, concluding that the mulch is both toxic and dangerous.
