A place I go every now and again to photograph nature is Lake Wilson.  This lake is located in Wilson, NC. It is a fairly decent place to observe kestrels, red-shouldered hawks, great blue herons, and various other species.  It is much closer than the normal hour I have to drive as I live in a rural area.  I observed a very poor choice that I would like to discuss.

Previously while walking on the trail on the western part of the lake, I smelled a very strong odor of rubber.  Eventually, I located the source which was newly placed rubber mulch.  There are various reasons people utilize mulch.  Insulation for plants, soil amendments, weed reduction, and area beautification are probably the top reasons why it is used residentially.  Organic mulches area great because they break down and get worked into the soil improving its nutrients, drainage, and compaction. Synthetic mulch, in this case a rubber product, does not improve the soil but can help plant insulation and weed suppression. One negative about organic mulch is that it needs to be replaced usually yearly which is one reason why people opt for rubber mulches.

Rubber mulch is not permanent as it is still broken down by microbes.  When rubber is broken down (recycled vehicle tires in this example) it creates a rubber leachate which can kill aquatic organisms like algae, snails, and fish. (Chalker-Scott, L. N.D). Rubber on top of soil also can be a fire hazard which is a topic for a different day however, it should be noted. If rubber leachate can kill aquatic organisms what would that do for Lake Wilson?  Rubber mulch when introduced into the “wildlife” food chain and the process of biomagnification means that when low level organisms or fish, snails, etc. are built up with chemicals the larger animal that preys on them will also receive a build up of chemicals.  The cool kestrels I was talking about have amphibians as part of their diet which can be then introduce leeched chemicals to the bird. This works with any animal that comes in contact with the lake as they freely feed.

Besides animals eating the rubber mulch in the yard or organisms contaminated with rubber leachate, the rubber mulch can runoff into the lake.  As observed in the photos I took, you can see that the rubber mulch area is in an area that is prone to flooding and near high water flow areas as it is on the bottom of a hill.  The rubber mulch was washed from the yard onto the path and into the lake.  The resident utilized a very sub-par height edging piece which was not very effective at containing it.

Bad choices can be corrected but sometimes the damage is already done.   The area being discussed needs to be cleaned up but more importantly I believe this product should not be supported.  As people look for shortcuts, are not informed (or misled), or simply don't care, we can choose to voice our opinions and refuse to purchase products or complain.  I do not know the brand or exact type of rubber mulch used but they are all similar and appeal to groups of people by misleading labeling.  Doesn't contain herbicide, doesn't contain insects, “guaranteed” to last xxx years, saves money, “safe for playgrounds” and even made from recycled materials!!

-May not contain herbicides or insecticides but it still harms the environment through leaching or direct consumption

-Safe for playgrounds—for who? They have prop 65 warnings as rubber causes reproductive harm and cancers…not to mention the environment gets poisoned as well.

-Its recycled! Well it WAS until you dumped trash on the ground…literally. You effectively turned a bagged recycled product back into ground waste from an advertisement.

-It does not really save money.  You will end up paying more in taxes for environmental restoration/rehabilitation, trash clean up groups, people cleaning up trails covered in it, loss of animals you have to pay to bring back from various projects…..it goes on. Don't be shortsighted!

I know this is not the only place that uses rubber mulch that is leeched or gets swept into a water source but it is the most recent one that I observed.  Lesson learned—research things before you purchase them, don't fall victim to organizations claiming to sell or support the environment with misleading advertisements. Just use the ol’ noggin.

Chalker-Scott, Linda, Ph.D. N.D. “Recycled rubber mulch is an environmentally friendly, non-toxic choice for landscapes” https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/rubber-mulch.pdf