Rubber Mulch

Our client, a major national retailer, recognized that they had a problem with their approach to mulching their stores. Because complete re-mulching is so cost prohibitive, their practice was to mulch each store only once each year in the spring. Even when using the best materials, standard wood mulch retains its color for six months at best. This meant that the look of the landscaping was not at its peak when the stores approached their most critical period for sales; the holidays. Right on cue every year Store Managers would begin calling the corporate team asking for fresher mulch.

The Challenge
Our customer approached Divisions with a capital project of sourcing and installing rubber mulch in a test market of stores. Rubber mulch, made from recycled tires, offers the same moisture and weed control properties as traditional mulch but has the added benefit of a higher density (meaning that it won’t blow or wash away in normal conditions). Although the purchase price is higher than traditional mulch, the end result is a mulch that retains its color longer and looks nice for a much longer period of time. 

Solution
Divisions worked closely with several rubber mulch suppliers until the right color and consistency to meet the client's brand standards were achieved. Achieving a natural look was imperative, and after several rounds of testing Pinnacle was selected to supply the materials from a newly opened processing station in nearby Baybrook, TX). Divisions then managed the installation of 420,000 pounds of rubber on 18 properties in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area within 30 days, saving 27,000 tires from going into landfills.

After 14 months since installation, the mulch still looks great and our customer was able to forgo remulching these locations in 2011.