San Francisco Chronicle article on artificial turf study

CalRecycle's October released study on artificial turf has been getting some press lately, including this article in The San Francisco Chronicle. The article explains that the study's findings on the health risks associated with using artificial turf on athletic and sports fields, which conclude that abrasions are most likely the only health risk.

Detractors of artificial turf like to say that bacteria found in artificial turf, not natural grass, leads to more infections, but the study has found the evidence toward that claim to be inconclusive.

However, the study did find a higher percentage of abrasions with artificial turf. The article states, "That college soccer players suffer far more skin abrasions when they play on artificial turf than with natural grass. [The study] recommends working to prevent those abrasions, in part through protective clothing and equipment."

Here is a link to a PDF of the study. For more information about artificial turf and California's efforts for reusing tires, go to Calrecycle's website. 

Rubber Bark's clean bill of health

It's difficult enough making sure the kiddos are safely playing on playground equipment, but to have to worry about them inhaling or their skin being susceptible to toxic chemicals is a drag. Good thing Rubber Bark™ passed all its safety and health tests with flying colors.

 Detractors like to say that rubber mulch has potentially harmful traces of lead, phthalates (plasicizers that is being phased out in most developed countries) and other metals. Most of what they say is untrue. But Rubber Bark doesn't just say it's safe. It proves it with all the statistics on the lack of chemicals in rubber mulch that one would ever want to read.

This link provides a table with the amounts of chemicals found in Rubber Bark™, which met the standards for the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act this year.

Rubber Bark™ - keeps the environment green while being chemically "clean."

Cost Comparison- Rubber Bark™ v. Other in-store brands

We at Rubber Bark™ want to offer our customers the lowest price on rubber mulch, so we often compare prices with other brands that are in stores, especially big box stores, and see how Rubber Bark™ fares. Again and again, we are surprised at the high prices for such small bags.

-At Home Depot, Vigoro brand rubber mulch bags are $8.97 for .8 cubic ft.
-At Lowe's Rubberific Brown Mulch bags are $10.96 for .8 cubic ft. and RePlay Brown Mulch bags are $8.76 for .8 cubic ft.
-At Ace Hardware Nuscape® Earthtone Rubber Nuggets bags are $10.99 for .8 cubic ft. and Rubberific Rubber mulch bags are $12.49 for 10 sq. ft. at 1" depth of mulch


Generally, these bags weigh around 16 to 20 lbs. So, from anywhere between $8-$12.50 a bag that comes to about 50 to 78 cents per pound, while Rubber Bark™ sells its rubber mulch in a variety of colors at $15 for a 40 lb. bag. That comes to about 38 cents per pound. 


If you need 3,000 lbs. of mulch for a large project, getting some at the stores that are quoted above will cost about $1,875. If you buy Rubber Bark™, it will cost $1,125. Buying directly from Rubber Bark™ can save customers $750! (We also have 2,100 lb. super sacks for large projects!) 


But saving money isn't the only thing worth saving. Rubber Bark™ also ships DIRECTLY to your home, so you don't have to haul 20 lb. bags to and from the car!


Go to the website and there is a handy form to fill out, and the most accurate price can be quoted for the space that needs Rubber Bark™. 


Happy mulching!

What can Rubber Bark™ be used for?

Here at the buzz we have featured many ways in which Rubber Bark™ can be used including landscaping, playgrounds, art, transportation projects and wait, hey, we just thought of a new one... ROCK CLIMBING AND ATHLETIC GYMS!

Rock climbing gym in Minnesota using
rubber mulch as ground cover

Most rock climbing gyms need a flexible and durable ground cover to help the climbers in "the fall zone" and last a long time with heavy foot traffic without eroding. Because most modern rock climbing gyms are equipped with synthetic walls and holders, rubber is a great choice to round out the flexibility of the gym. A lot of rock climbing gyms currently have rubber mats for climbers to sit (which are great alternatives, check out some options here) but if safety is a first priority, rubber mulch is known to be more flexible, especially at higher heights.

Do you have other ways in mind that Rubber Bark™ can be used? Or know of an indoor rock climbing gym or athletic gym that would benefit from some Rubber Bark™?

If so, leave 'em in the comments section.

CalRecycle's "Green Roads" video

CalRecycle put up a video about its "Green Roads" campaign on YouTube. Let's pave (no pun intended) the way for the rest of the country with our tire recycleness!

How they do it up north

We in California are not the only ones getting in on the tire-recycling action. In Ashren, Canada, which is in the province of Manitoba, a former cattle rancher has found new life (and work) recycling some of Manitoba's yearly pile up of 1.4 million tires. Peter Schroedter started Off the Road (OTR) Recycling to reuse off-road industrial tires and turn them into cattle troughs and asphalt filler. Read the article from the Winnipeg Free Press here.

Schroedter details the trials of recycling tires, saying "A hockey puck is about 95 hardness. Most of our rubber is in the high 70s from mining tires, and our softest is 60. Car tires are 58."