Jelly Bean is a non-toxic playground safety surface comprised of loose-fill rubber mulch that is a popular alternative to wood mulch and recycled tire mulch.
Issues associated with mulch made from recycled tires include safety concerns and potential health threats, leading some municipalities to ban its use on school and public playgrounds. Thus a need emerged for non-toxic rubber playground safety surface. Enter Jelly Bean mulch.
The Best Product For The Playground Requiring Top Safety Parameters on A Budget
With a top fall safety rating, a price well below pour-in-place surface, and certifiable medical-grade virgin rubber, the product offers a unique product market fit.
Jelly Bean mulch has become a popular choice for school playgrounds, daycares, church playgrounds, and public parks.
So Clean and Fresh
Clean Jelly Bean playground rubber mulch is made of medical-grade virgin rubber. To properly protect children and keep a cost low enough to attract the masses, Jelly Bean is the perfect sweet spot product that is both safe and cost-effective to save money over more expensive solid surface rubber.
Jelly Bean won’t rub off on children’s clothes or skin like tire mulch, is more durable than sand or wood mulch, and costs less than pour-in-place playground rubber.
Safest Mulch For Playgrounds
When it comes to choosing a safe play surface it is important to start with the goal of buying a product that is non-toxic and composed of non-tire rubber mulch.
Nobody wants dirty chopped-up tires with steel wires, potentially hazardous chemicals, paint leaching, and toxic smells all over their kids when at the park or school playground. This is where Jelly Bean rubber mulch comes into play – pun intended!
Safety Tiles and Virgin Medical Rubber Over Dirty Old Tires
Non-toxic Jelly Bean mulch provides a safer alternative since the origin of the rubber is known, the rubber is certified as non-toxic, as it is derived from rubber products like safety tile trimmings and other medical-grade product overages.
With the origin of the rubber known, and it being non-toxic, with little-to-no smell of the product, and no paint leaching or potential red list chemicals present, gives Jelly Bean rubber mulch an advantage over dirty tire mulch.
Furthermore, the product is soft, and feels great underfoot at the playground.
Little children in day cares love it as much as primary-age students. Jelly Bean mulch is even popular with dogs for doggy daycares and horses for stables and training.
Non-Toxic = Not Recycled Tire Rubber
Why do municipalities, churches, daycares, and schools prefer Jelly Bean mulch over the competitors, it often comes down to the non-toxic nature of the product.
The only thing worse than buying rubber tire mulch is having to remove it later on once a wire is found, toxins appear or paint leaches off of it. This process is costly and time-consuming. The liability of having such a product on-site can also come into play.
If You Put Lipstick on a Pig, Does It Still Oink Like One?
Yet many companies that sell rubber tire mulch champion it as a protector of children, with candy-colored paint to hammer home the point. Yet it is a dangerous product to keep around children, with more than just anecdotal evidence of toxicity abounding.
You even start to wonder, why are people putting rubber tire mulch on playgrounds in a day and age where a single search online showcases all the problems with the product.
Long Lasting Playground Mulch
With Jelly Bean rubber mulch buyers ensure a long-lasting, stable, durable, play safety surface that will please parents, administrators, teachers, and most importantly, kids!
To choose Jelly Bean mulch surface is a wise choice for no other reason than the lack of toxicity in the product and the money you save over future rubber tire mulch removal.
Highest Fall Safety Rating
Jelly Bean has the highest fall safety rating in the industry, exceeding CPSC fall safety guidelines.
At the same time, the product is comprised of a soft material free of heavy metal toxins or dangerous residue tire mulch might offer.
This fall safety rating exceeds the maximum for school playgrounds for a loose-fill rubber mulch product.
Save Money by Buying Once
While the product is as safe as it gets for playground safety surfacing, it isn’t as expensive as other products in the same category – like pour-in-place rubber.
Further, Jelly Bean mulch is easier to top off than having to repair and patch degraded areas of the pour-in-place product.
Jelly Bean lasts a very long time. We have many customers who have had their mulch for many years without any issues. It won’t easily blow away or degrade, so you have no need to feel like the playground safety surface will be an ongoing cost or liability to your organization.
Why Kids Love Jelly Bean Rubber Mulch
When you think of your younger days playing in a dug-out hole on the ground, or on a backyard playground, what comes to mind? Nostalgic thoughts of laughing, playing hide and seek, chasing friends around the playground endlessly, and maybe even taking on a dare or two to see who can climb up the steps the fastest and get back to the ground even quicker.
Joy Back To Playing On The Playground
Jelly Bean brings out that childhood joy in kids because it’s out of the way. It’s not like sand where there are granules getting stuck here and there, or hard like pea gravel. It’s not like wood mulch that could trigger an allergy or hold on to water and bugs.
Jelly Bean mulch is simply there to cushion their little feet and keep their bodies safe on the ground as they enjoy time with friends. Sure it looks great, and stays put, but it also isn’t obtrusive – and that’s why we think kids love it.
Soft to the touch, easy to play on, and yet stays clear of becoming a hindrance to play.
Not All Playground Rubber Mulch Brands Are Created Equal
Why are parks, schools, daycares, churches, and Headstart programs loving Jelly Bean? We think it’s the sweet spot product.
When you look at play surface products you have two categories, cheap and expensive.
Cheap products like wood mulch degrade over time, causing the illusion of affordability when in fact they are much more costly down the line if you account for all the refills annually.
Expensive products like poured-in-place rubber are attractive, and seen in world-class playgrounds around the world, but cost a lot of money to install. Further, to patch poured-in-place surfacing can be costly and time-consuming.
The Sweet Spot Product
The sweet spot product that is non-tire and non-toxic is Jelly Bean rubber mulch. We offer as little as a few tons for small commercial projects, up to many truckloads depending on the need.
The product won’t blow away, has little-to-no odor, and offers pricing that is value-driven over time because of the long-lasting nature of the virgin medical-grade rubber the product is made of.
Further, jelly bean rubber mulch has been tested as a top fall safety rating safety play surface. To create the exact mix of value, performance, safety, longevity, and knowing that it is free of any toxins, you have to go with Jelly Bean rubber mulch.
The Non-Tire Difference
Looking to install a safer product than the typical rubber tire mulch is a smart bet. In fact, it amazes us that there are still companies that recommend using rubber tire mulch as a playground safety surface product, despite the growing concerns over the safety and health issues associated with recycled tires.
Can you imagine young innocent children being exposed to phthalates, metals, steel wire, road residue, toxic odors, dirt, and so much more? This is why municipalities, churches, daycares, schools, and many other organizations simply refuse to even consider rubber tire mulch.
Legit Concerns
The concerns are particularly acute with mulch made from recycled tires, as many municipalities are banning its use in school and public playgrounds due to potential health issues and the presence of metal and other chemicals in tire-based rubber mulch.
The Non-Tire Difference
The non-tire difference starts with understanding that Jelly Bean mulch is free of contaminants, won’t blow away easily, is the leading loose-fill virgin rubber product on the market today, and is totally safe for kids to play on.
In fact, the product passes California indoor air quality standards, try that with dirty chopped-up tires!
The New Jelly Bean Product – Swing and Slide Mat
Over the course of much research and development, Jelly Bean has created new swing and slide mats that offer the same outstanding mix of durability, clean virgin rubber, and value for high-traffic areas under the swing and slides.
When kids play on a playground the first area, no matter the surface type, that often sees degradation is the floor under the swing and slides.
Enter the Jelly Bean Mat, a sturdy non-toxic swing and slide mat with perforated backing so that it doesn’t move easily when set in place atop the rubber mulch.
Final Thoughts
When considering non tire rubber mulch Jelly Bean made from the trimmings of safety tiles without red list chemicals should be on your list. Playground mulch is literally a large purchase, since it’s coming on a big freight truck, and figuratively as well, often costing in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
With playground safety top of mind, and tire mulch often pitched as a safe alternative, it is important to keep in mind all the distinctive benefits Jelly Bean offers when it comes to protecting childern on the playground – exceeding fall safety top rating, being easy to install and maintain, and costing less than pour-in-place rubber.