Citizen

With all due respect, I wish to disagree with a few points.

I agree rubber mulch is unattactive, but I want to say up front that I have never bought or used any.

I have used lots and lots of rubber flooring in landscaping and my gardens. I worked for a rubber company for 30 years and got reject rolls free for hauling it off!

Your concern over the chemicals I believe to be an overstated worry. The heavy metals mentioned would be in the coloring agents involved. Makers of rubber products always make it as cheaply as they can. The raw natural rubber is expensive and fillers like clay or floor sweepings are added to the mix to increase it's volume to the maximum.

Coloring agents would be expensive and used conservatively to hold down costs.

Using rubber as borders of beds and walkways of gardens I can't say it ever killed any plant that it wasn't covering.

I depend on my wells for all my water, and have never had any problem with my drinking water.

I agree that fire would be a problem, but would point out that ignition is not easy.

The cost of all the environMENTAL concerns and regulations were a factor in my plant closing down permanently. The owners attempted to get their products made in China instead of here in America.
You should probably worry about what the Chinese put in their rubber ( ever notice how smelly it is ? ) since they don't have an EPA.

The EPA used to require that we collect samples of rainwater from the roof of the factory since it was galvanized metal. Now the CO2 we breathe out off our lungs is destroying the planet.

Your magazine consumes large volumes of ink ,paper, and energy. The information you provide needs to be correct and very valuable to counterbalance the damage you are doing to the planet.


Anything can be pushed to far. Fear mongering and speading hysterical thinking could circle around and bite you. I'm sure none of your readers would ever throw away your magazine, out of concern for the environment they must keep every issue. Who could ever waste all that material and energy.

Of course, once enough issues have piled up ,..
it might qualify as a SuperFund site.

Keep it up, eventually we can all lose our jobs.