People complained about rats burrowing in this park. So the city closed it for a year and it just reopened with… this.

by Btrex

15 Comments

  1. WiskeyUniformTango

    it’s most likely a resin-bound rubber, for a porous pavement.

  2. LostAbbott

    That is a porous rubber mat.  It is usually made out of recycled tires.  It will cook the roots and poison the soil all over the park.  The complex chemicals that leach out of this stuff is extremely toxic, and because it is ground tires it leaches exponentially faster that if it were whole tires.  It is likely significantly worse than a rat infestation…

    Depending on exactly what it is made up of, it likely also off gasses toxic fumes when heated over about 90°.  So on a 70° sunny day it could be off gassing toxic fumes…

  3. Ok_Ambition8538

    Between shit like this, plastic/synthetic turf plastic lumber and lawn edging I’m having a hard time seeing the harm is plastic straws etc…. I’m not a proponent of more plastic anything,….but I’m just sayin, shits wild

  4. MissDiagnosedMama

    Do we really need more things to be made out of plastic 😫

  5. UpbeatConference4683

    That may be epoxy coated aggregate, not rubber if it’s outside of safety zones of play equipment. So a natural stone covered in chemical hardener. Is it much better than rubber? Probably not. It is porous, so water can get to the tree roots. It is also considered accessible for mobility needs.
    Usually it’s a fix for over-use. We can’t have nice things if people walk all over them and we don’t fund our parks departments enough to provide basic maintenance. We could also design the areas with a curb so people don’t walk on it…

  6. pepperthief

    I thought this was the bottom of someone’s Met Gala dress at first glance- then realized the sub

  7. Jealous-Strain-6400

    Hard to say with these images, but if it looks like rock to you might be resin bound gravel (product commonly known as Romex). Landscape architects often specify it these days to have the benefit of aerated fill and permeable surfacing while avoiding having it kicked around or (as cities love to complain about) kids throwing gravel at windows. It can also be cut to adjust the tree holes as its trunk grows. Source: I am a landscape architect and have seen this used on projects.

  8. TheJesseOfTheNorth

    it’s good way to kill those trees is what it is. damn shame

  9. SubstantialBoat1222

    Recycling in the US: shredding toxic tires for mulch and calling it environmentally conscious

  10. T_to_the_A_to_the_M

    The city would rather poison the land than hired an actual person to take care of the park? That’s upsetting.

  11. Alternative-Note-603

    Looks like a breathable rubber surface they use on decks and in playgrounds.

    It’s porus and allows water through so I don’t believe it would have a negative effect on the trees unless the material leeches chemicals that are harmful.

    I don’t know enough about the material to give an opinion

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