Wind impact

Due to the nature of rubber mulch, being ten times heavier than your average wood mulch, it doesn't blow away or "migrate." Many communities find themselves replacing their landscape mulch as frequently as every six to eight weeks, because so much of it blows away in high winds (or washes out in rain). Note that the shredded type of rubber mulch has a larger surface area to weight ratio than our standard nugget form of rubber mulch, so it can be affected by high winds and blow out (although not as bad as wood mulch).

 

The best part is, any leaves or debris that blows in on top of your rubber mulch can just as easily be blown out, without disturbing the rubber mulch in your playground or landscaping! So, you could say you blow away your problems, without blowing your surfacing budget, plus savings!

Heavy winds can disturb both wood and sand, with wood tending to blow away, while sand (and smaller wood particles) can become airborne in very high winds. Obviously, our rubber mulch isn't going anywhere in the wind. It stays put, where you installed it, unless disturbed during playtime or other physical activities. Equally as important is planning for how to handle various weather conditions with some different types of surfaces, such as how to protect, inspect and restore any damage that occurs, and proper drainage to avoid flooding is perhaps more important.

PIP is called the most dangerous playground surface

Blow leaves away

Wood chips attract insect & pests

Mulch stays put

Wood chips attract slime mold that can harm plants

Wood blows away

PIP is called the most dangerous playground surface

Safety planning

Wood chips attract insect & pests

Pathogenic sand

Wood chips attract slime mold that can harm plants

Playground drainage

Rubber mulch isn't going to budge in the wind, yet other surfaces can and do, wood more than sand, and heavy rain or runoff affects both poorly. The cost to replace even free wood mulch for landscaping adds up to way more than the cost of rubber mulch that lasts for 25 years or more, with little to no maintenance other than periodic top-offs counted in years, instead of weeks or months with wood products.