Rubber mulches are advertised as economical, effective, and environmentally safe materials for use in landscapes and gardens.

At first glance, it may seem that rubber mulches are an environmentally friendly way of recycling used tires, but further research indicates they are neither effective nor safe.

The chemicals used to produce tires are zinc, cadmium, sulfur, chromium, selenium, aluminum, molybdenum, copper, manganese and iron. Recycled rubber lawn edging and mulch contain extremely high levels of zinc.

It’s toxic: Plants grown in rubber mulch have been shown to accumulate enough zinc in their systems to kill them. And,

USDA research warns against the use of ground rubber on any garden soil, agricultural soil, compost, or potting media.

Still, some companies are using tire chips and crumbs as a bulking agent for compost (no wonder it doesn’t work!)

There’s no law that says commercial compost manufacturers have to tell you what’s in their product, after all.

The amount of zinc alone in ground or chipped rubber means that it shouldn’t be used in composts or gardens. Unfortunately, it can be hard to know if that’s what you’re buying.

Research shows that the toxicity of the leachates increases as the rubber mulch breaks down.

A gardener needs only consider the zinc factor & the stink factor to realize this is toxic garbage unsuitable for landscaping. But there are other heavy metal & toxic contaminants in crumb rubber, including arsenic, cadmium, lead & nickel, which can effect the safety of groundwater.

* It’s a fire hazard: A research study comparing several different mulches found that when rubber mulches, which contain petroleum products, are ignited, it is more difficult to extinguish than any other mulches–including wood chips.

* It stinks: When the sun heats rubber mulch, it stinks.

Rubber might seem like a good choice for organic gardeners, and some people are even saying that it is. But, take the time to check out the facts.

Trace elements found in chipped rubber are bad for plants and can leach into the watershed. They’re certainly nothing you want to have in your food.

While recycling waste tires is an important environmental issue, the solution is not to spread the pollution problem over our landscapes and gardens.

*   It’s not effective: Studies have shown that organic mulches such as wood chips and straw are more effective at holding down weeds than rubber mulches.

Stick to mulches from natural sources and let the rubber be used for other purposes entirely. You’ll get much better results!

Stick to a natural mulch, without nitrogen binding characteristics, such as shredded leaves or even a compost mulch. Mulches that comes from non-toxic plant sources are a much better idea than industrial by products, no matter how much we want to recycle.

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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener