The Northeast was subject to an October storm this past week that broke records set by previous storms. Never before had there been an October storm that hit with such power, dumping an unprecedented amount of up to eighteen inches of snow on trees still heavy with leaves. The Governors of Connecticut and New Jersey declared states of emergency, and millions were left without power. Clean up from the store will be costly and time consuming, as people reel from winter’s premature strike.

Newer and well maintained houses and grounds will have an easier time cleaning up from the storm. Schools, especially, will try to clean their playgrounds out quickly so that children can benefit from the end of the crisp autumn weather before winter sets in. Superior playground surfaces and equipment will make the clean-up in commercial playgrounds a lot quicker and easier.

In parks and playgrounds that are floored with wood chips, the wet wood absorbs water and easily gets rotten. Pieces of wood break off and dirty the snow, making clean-up virtually impossible until the snow melts. The splinters of wood littering the snow can also pose as a safety hazard for children. Playgrounds that have rubber mulch surfaces, on the other hand, will have an easier time. As a less porous substance, the rubber does not rot or absorb water. The particles that make up the rubber playground flooring are also more dense, so they stay together, as opposed to wood, which gets strewn about by any storm.

School boards and principals should seriously consider installing rubber mulch in their playgrounds before winter sets in,  because this freak October storm is only the first of many. Rubber playground flooring makes clean-up a lot more economical, and keeps children safe.

http://rubbermulchblog.com/