Lining up your outside trash cans along a bare-soil surface contributes to erosion and uneven ground; trash can wheels gradually dig in the soil to make a ditch that captures water and produces a bad aesthetic. As a solution, you can use inorganic mulch for a ground cover. Typical choices of rubber and gravel mulch can be found in the market, however both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Particle Sizes
Even though rubber mulch manufacturers offer their products in varying particle sizes, gravel has organic little stone diameters to make an effective interlocking mulch layer below your garbage cans. If you apply a 1-inch-thick gravel layer to your trash can place, the resulting surface is almost perfectly flat. By comparison, rubber mulch, with particle sizes of about 3/8ths of an inch, cannot create the very best flat layer the manner gravel does. The interlocking custom of gravel also contributes to weed control, whereas rubber mulch might have spaces accessible for bud development.
Remaining in Place
If you live in an area with periodic heavy rainfall, gravel might erode with water runoff, since flowing water attracts the tiny particles as much like river stones. As a remedy to rainy areas, put in rubber mulch on your trash can place. Typically made of recycled automobile tires, rubber mulch stays in position since it can’t float away with the water stream. Retaining your mulch protects your garbage can place from erosion and saves you money, because new mulch doesn’t need to be bought as a replacement.
Hiding Places
Trash cans attract little pests, particularly when lids are not securely sealed on a regular basis. In case you’ve got possible pest issues around your trash place, gravel is actually the best choice as a ground cover. Rubber mulch, especially in larger particle sizes, provides hiding spaces for pests to rest before infiltrating the garbage cans. On the other hand, gravel’s little sizes don’t offer any form of shelter from predators as pests converge on the trash area.
Water Considerations
Light rainfall is easily funneled away from trash can places with either a layer of rubber or gravel mulch. Both mulch types have sufficient distance between every particle to permit little water levels to stream toward neighboring drains; whereas reduced ground brought on by unmulched garbage can wheel depressions encourages standing water and erosion. After the area is mulched, the ground below the garbage cans remains relatively dry to ensure that pests, such as cockroaches, are not drawn by dampness.