Various Uses of Recycled Rubber In and Around Your Home

A construction worker installs recycled rubber sheeting for a new roof. Photo from Santheo.

Recycled rubber is an eco-friendly, durable option for all kinds of applications around the home. Here are some uses for recycled rubber around your home or business.

Recycled Rubber Flooring Tiles

These colorful tiles have so many potential uses. They come in a variety of colors and even patterns, and you can lay them down in whatever design or pattern you like. They are easy to clean – they can even be taken outside and hosed off. These tiles are ideal for:

• People with allergies or chemical sensitivities to carpet adhesives
• Children’s playrooms or bedrooms
• Classrooms
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Sunrooms
• Laundry rooms
• Screened-in porches
• Decks (especially rooftop decks and gardens)
• Outdoor play areas, especially around a child’s pool or sandbox
• Workout rooms or gyms
• Anywhere you will be standing often – the rubber relieves the stress that long-term standing puts on your joints. If you are an employer, think about rubber flooring for your store or business if your employees stand up a lot.

Recycled Rubber in Other Types of Flooring

Recycled rubber flooring is not confined to tiles. It can be purchased in sheets of various colors and textures. Most of the above uses could be accomplished with sheet-style recycled rubber as well.

A Playground Built on Recycled Tires

Made from chopped, shredded tires, one kind of rubber mulch is used as a springy, durable surface for playgrounds. It is placed several inches deep around and under slides, swings, climbing bars, and so forth. It does not produce mud, and water can percolate through it and soak into the ground below. Rubber mulch also is a lot easier on children’s knees, elbows, and other parts that often make contact with the ground during play!

Redo Your Garden With Recycled Rubber

Another kind of rubber mulch, also made from chopped, shredded tires, provides excellent weed control and moisture retention for your garden. Weeds can not sprout through the opaque darkness this mulch produces. Rain water can penetrate the mulch, watering your garden, but it is slow to evaporate back up through it. This makes it ideal for retaining water during hot, dry summers.

Rubber garden mulch can also be used from recycled rubber mats. You cut the mats to the size and shape you need, then lay them in your garden. They can even be used to make a garden path.

Used rubber tires make interesting planters, too. You can stack them vertically to make tall planters (some people swear by this method for growing potatoes), or just use one at a time. You can paint them, too. Lay them on their sides and fill them with dirt, or insert a regular pot into the hole to stabilize it.