When selecting a material for landscaping projects, there are a lot of factors that come into consideration: cost, friendliness to the environment, and maintenance, among others. While every project is different, some of these factors are just as important across a wide variety of installations and landscaping ideas, so let’s take a look at some of the more common questions that come into play.
1. Minimal impact to the environment
Recycling is at the heart of everything we do at Safer Surfacing; the core focus of our business is all about taking waste materials and refitting them for a new purpose. On average, around 100,000 tyres reach the end of their use per day and will travel hundreds (if not thousands!) of miles around the world,
only to end up being incinerated or buried within landfill. We believe that there are better ways to handle this huge amount of waste material.
Upon arrival, safer surfacing separates the waste tyres into wire, fines, and rubber chippings, shredded to a size of 20mm. These chippings are then sealed and coloured with a non-toxic polyurethane coating, fashioning the waste tyre into a useful product. The rubber chippings are then fit for use, and are fantastic for landscaping, playgrounds, commercial projects and a whole host of other applications. Also, the inert, non-toxic nature of the chippings and the coating means that they are perfect for projects where there is a chance that they could be ingested, such as playgrounds or chicken coops.
So, rather than burn the waste tyres and release harmful pollution into the atmosphere, or put them into environmentally damaging landfill, Safer Surfacing reuses, revalues, and repurposes them to create a useful product once more.
2. Very cost effective compared to alternatives
When thinking of materials to use for garden landscaping, pathways, and decoration projects, one of the first materials that springs to mind is wood chip. While wood chip is a useful and aesthetic resource, it is biodegradable, and so will rot down over time, meaning that you will have to top up your area often. This increased maintenance and replenishment can be rather costly both in the short and long term. However, as an alternative, good quality rubber chippings have some great qualities:
- They do not rot, meaning less maintenance and replenishment is required.
- The chippings will last for years due to their high durability and resistance to harsh weather conditions.
- As a rubber material, they naturally retain the sun’s heat.
- The polyurethane coating is resistant to colour fading over time.
- Due to the heavy nature of rubber tyres, they will not blow away in the wind.
- As they are non-toxic, they are ideal for playgrounds and animal runs such as chicken coops, as they will not be harmful if ingested.
Safer Surfacing rubber chippings can be provided in a number of way to suit your individual requirements; in handy 20kg bags, larger bulk bags for bigger projects, and if you really need a lot, an entire tipper truck can be filled! Whatever the project, no matter the size, Safer Surfacing can provide a solution that meets your project’s needs; you can check out their range here.
3. Great material choice for your garden
While the chippings themselves are a highly durable and hard-wearing material, they also have a lot of other benefits when used for gardening and landscaping projects.
As they are strong, sturdy, and do not easily blow away, they are perfect for using in projects such as planters and flowerpots, as they do not rot or decompose, and also add a splash of colour and variety to your garden decoration and flowerbeds. Additionally, they help with weed control, meaning that even when you are a little too busy gardening, the rubber chippings are helping to keep things in check until you are ready!
It's not just the smaller projects that can benefit greatly from rubber chippings: walkways, pathways, and patio surfaces can also be great candidates for rubber chipping fills. Either with single colour fills, or even combining multiple colours to create a unique pattern across your garden, the sturdiness of the rubber chippings makes them fantastic for marking out walking areas!
If the loose-fill chippings aren’t quite what you had in mind for your project, then resin-bound wetpour might be more to your style. A much more permanent solution, resin-bound rubber crumb surfaces hold the benefits of rubber chips, while requiring even less frequent maintenance and no replenishment necessary! While this option is more popular for playground and commercial purposes, it is equally practical for home pathways and even for surrounding swimming pools.
Overall, rubber chippings are a great choice for various landscaping projects, whether you are looking for something small to add a little variety to the layout of your garden, a more permanent surface for a patio design, or even a border fill to bring those outlining planters to life with a splash of colour!
'This is a collaborative post and the author's views do not necessarily reflect those of our blog. We may receive monetary compensation for our endorsement and or recommendations'.
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