Is Starbucks sending old car tires to our Oceans?

In Toronto, a new Starbucks outlet has added about a dozen attractive planters at a major intersection. The mulch product used in these planters is rubber mulch made from discarded, ground-up tires. I took these pictures on 15 September 2019.

Rubber mulch appears to be a bit more expensive than bark mulch, apparently breaks falls better when used in a playground, and unsurprisingly lasts longer than bark. There are a number of other apparent benefits and harms [source]. However, they cannot be good if they enter our storm-sewer system – both in terms clogging our system and in terms of toxicity as they reach our lakes and oceans.

Rubber mulch is very light and easily scattered from these planters (as would be bark mulch chips). Since they are light in weight many will be kicked or swept into our sidewalks, streets and hence into our storm drain system. Many already were in the case of these planters. You can see this in second set of four pictures.

It appears that the reports of safe application come from the industry that manufacturers them and the reports of hazard are from independent sources: “... [the] scientific literature makes abundantly clear that rubber should not be used as a landscape amendment or mulch. There is no question that toxic substances leach from rubber as it degrades, contaminating soil, plants and waterways.” [Source]

To Starbucks: Please redo these planters with nontoxic mulch; mulch that is as harmless as possible as it reaches our storm drain system.

To The City of Toronto: Please ban this mulch within X meters of our street and schools and anywhere else that these can easily gain access to our storm drain systems, our children or other potential interfaces of harm.

Thank you.