Rubber mulch is made from recycled tires and other rubber materials. It is a popular alternative to wooden mulch for playgrounds. The reason for this lies in its physical properties, such as durability and relative safety. In addition to playgrounds, it is often used in gardens and patios because of its superior advantages over wood mulch, such as preventing weed growth and soil erosion, reducing fungus, etc.
The manufacturing process of rubber covering
Step 1: Collect scrap tires
Rubber mulch is made by recycling old rubber tires. Almost any kind of rubber tire can be used to make rubber coverings, from small tires for toys to large tires for trucks. It prevents tires from ending up in landfills and gives them a second life as mulch.
Step 2: Remove the Steel Belt from the Tire
Before rubber mulch manufacturers can turn old tires into mulch, they need to remove the steel belts inside the tires. These manufacturers often rely on magnet systems to ensure that no steel remains in the tires. This makes the covering as secure as possible.
Step 3: Tires are shredded and tinted
Once the steel belt is removed from the tire, the tire is shredded into small pieces of mulch by a tire blocks cutter. They are also painted to give them a complete look. Black is the most common color for rubber mulch, but manufacturers can make mulch in almost any color they want.
Step 4: Packaging of rubber mulch film
Once the rubber mulch is all made, it is packed into large bags so it can be shipped to the people who want to use it.
Tire recycling equipment for rubber pellet/rubber powder manufacturing
For more information on the various stages of tire shredding, check out the Xinyutian Tire Recycling System. No matter what type of tire shredding you're interested in, our experts can help you find the equipment that's right for you.
Benefits of Recycled Rubber Mulch
In addition to its obvious safety advantages, rubber can be used in a variety of projects, from construction to large-scale landscaping projects. Other benefits of rubber mulch include:
- The overall cost is lower. Although rubber mulch has a higher upfront cost, it is cheaper in the long run because it does not degrade like wood mulch or other natural alternatives.
- Because rubber mulch does not absorb water like wood mulch, surfaces covered with rubber mulch retain more moisture because water and fertilizer can reach the soil below.
- Insects, pests and unwanted weeds have a hard time establishing themselves in rubber mulch.
- Projects installed using rubber mulch can last more than 20 years and require less maintenance than wood.
- Rubber coverings are mostly weatherproof and can withstand dangerous weather such as blizzards, thunderstorms and even hurricanes.
Another obvious but sometimes overlooked aspect of rubber mulch is that it is made from recycled tires. Recycled rubber mulch recycles products burned in landfills or hazardous tire fires into a safe resource for towns and cities, helping to reduce our global carbon footprint.
