Tire mulch sticks to kids’ clothes, makes a mess

Set aside whether or not the blue chips called “tire mulch” in the parks are toxic or not (JP Gazette, June 25). My question is, did the person who approved this stuff actually see these chips, or did they just read about them on paper? And does the person have a child?

My 6-year-old watched the new playground being constructed on the Southwest Corridor at the corner of Amory and Minton and could not wait to check it out, as he has a rating system for all the new playgrounds in JP. Finally the playground was finished, and we had a rare “no school” snow day. We walked over to the park with my son dressed warmly in his snowsuit. There was not too much snow, just enough to give everything a good layer. My son happily went down the snowy slides, etc.

We were both wondering what the blue stuff was coming through the snow. I told him that maybe the playground was not ready yet and that once the weather became warmer they would put some kind of cover over it. Long story short, on the way home, my son had blue rubbery chips, due to the wet snow, clinging to every little crevice in his snowsuit, boots and hat. Apparently, whoever stamped the final “approved” failed to check whether or not the tire mulch would interfere with winter snow angel making. So what do we do in the winter when this stuff is dragged home? Do we send it back to the Department of Conservation and Recreation once we sweep it into the dustpan? Or do I now say, “Don’t drag those chips in the house” vs. “Don’t be dragging any dirt in.” Hmmm…

Colleen Scanlan
Jamaica Plain

The writer is the mother of two young children.

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