"Rubber mulch," made from shredded tires, is used at the Clinton Park playground at Fifth and Alabama streets.
It's bouncy and may remind you to change your snow tires. It also may be the newest feature at parks across the city.
Lawrence Parks and Recreation crews recently installed chopped-up rubber tires underneath the new playground equipment at Clinton Park, Fifth and Alabama streets. It's the first time the city has used the recycled material instead of the traditional wood mulch.
There's a reason why parks and recreation leaders are taking the new material out for a spin: weeds.
"We've really struggled with weed invasion since we've switched to the pesticide-free program," said Mark Hecker, city parks superintendent. "Weeds have become a larger problem."
After several citizens urged the city to adopt a pesticide-free park program, city crews no longer spray Round-up to kill weeds near playground equipment. Instead, they've been sending crews out to pull weeds, or let them grow.
Now, they're trying the "rubber mulch," which goes through a process that seals the chunks of tires so that they don't leave a black residue on hands or clothing. They also pass through magnets to remove the steel belts in radial tires.
This city is testing the product at Clinton Park and HAND Park near 24th Street and Haskell Avenue. Although the material costs about 2.5 times more than mulch, Hecker thinks it could be cost-effective. That's because the city adds mulch to the playgrounds annually, and replaces it every three years. The rubber mulch is supposed to be maintenance free for up to five years, Hecker said.
If 10-year-old Starra Zweygardt were in charge, she would be ordering more rubber mulch.
"They're a lot better than the wood chips because when I played on them (chips) barefoot, I was like 'ow, ow, ow,' " Starra said Wednesday at the park.
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xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
Great Idea!!!!!!!!! Save our landfills
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
It's Mulch Madness!(somebody was going to say it)
curious2 (anonymous) says…
I took my kids to the park yesterday by Pickney and thought to myself, who ever thought of this is genius!!
ryknow1976 (anonymous) says…
What happened to the good old days when the playgrounds were all borken glass and gravel. That built character. These kids today...
Take_a_letter_Maria (anonymous) says…
curious2 (Anonymous) says: I took my kids to the park yesterday by Pickney and thought to myself, who ever thought of this is genius!!--------------------------------------------------------------------------I hope you are still saying this after that rubber has had an opportunity to sit out in a hot July or August sun for a while and absorb all of that heat. There have been reports from around the country of kids getting their feet burned from running around in this stuff after just a few straight days of temps in the 80s.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
... And on the 8th day, God created... shoes...
JOEHAWK (anonymous) says…
Why would you ever let a kid play on a playground without shoes? many of the playgrounds I knew as a kid were asphalt, they got hot too.
hail2oldku (anonymous) says…
Shoes, yeah that's the idea anyway, but running around barefoot in the summer time has always been one of the joys. Maria probably has kids, or at least knows some, that take their shoes off the first chance they get. It's not all that uncommon ag & joe.1976, I got a kick out of the glass and gravel reference. That was certainly all too true where I grew up.
cg22165 (anonymous) says…
"pesticide-free"Would that not be "herbicide-free" if they are talking about weed killers?OK, OK, I'm being nit picky. :-)
blue_blood (anonymous) says…
I too love the mulch, as do my children, but before installing in our own home playground I did some research. I read some really awful things about it. Why are tires considered toxic waste, but allowed on a playground. That doesn't make sense to me. It also said don't use it in a garden, because it seeps into the plants and can make your veggies toxic. I don't know who to believe, but it sure does scare me.
aeroscout17 (anonymous) says…
Tires are toxic waste? Where did that come from? Can anyone provide a source?
autie (anonymous) says…
shoes? shoes? they don't need no stinkin shoes. Ever tried to keep shoes on a four year old in the park?
dipweed (anonymous) says…
uuhhh...I think the recycled tires should be used to make rubber highways. Yeah, that's it. Asphalt tires and rubber highways! I'm a genius!
George_Braziller (anonymous) says…
In an open area like a playground you don't have to use herbicides. Regular vinegar (the higher the acidity the better) sprayed on any plant will kill it or send it into serious distress. I use it on the weeds in my brick sidewalk. The area smells like a pickle for a day or so but it works.______________________________________________What else did God created on the 8th day besides shoes? weed killer.
Peaty (anonymous) says…
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...
easmith14 (anonymous) says…
Lawhorn, I like the cut of your jib!!!
Take_a_letter_Maria (anonymous) says…
Did you read the story at all agnostick and joehawk?My post was directly related to this comment - "If 10-year-old Starra Zweygardt were in charge, she would be ordering more rubber mulch."They're a lot better than the wood chips because when I played on them (chips) barefoot, I was like 'ow, ow, ow,' " Starra said Wednesday at the park."
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
Mmmmm... chewy.
pace (anonymous) says…
Great, I like the kid quote. I let my kid go barefoot in the yard but no, don't send them to a public park barefoot,