Old Tires Spare Trees

LTR Products, Pittsburgh, got its start in 2009 as a subsidiary of Liberty Tire Recycling, a provider of tire recycling services for customers throughout North America. The business unit functions as a creative outlet for rubber-based products made from recycled tires.

Its showpiece thus far is Pinnacle Rubber Mulch. Introduced to the market in late 2009, the product has found numerous applications as landscaping mulch and playground safety surfacing. It’s also sold by Home Depot under the Vigoro brand name.

Brad Pittam, general manager of LTR, observes that Pinnacle Rubber Mulch helps save millions of trees from the shredder. We talked with Pittam to find out more about the company and the evolution of its rubber mulch business.

Q: What materials do you specialize in?

A: We specialize in manufacturing rubber mulch that can be used as a viable, sustainable alternative to traditional wood mulch for landscaping and as playground safety surfacing. In recent years developers, parks and recreation directors, landscapers, homeowners and municipalities have sought mulch options that are better for the environment and more cost effective. This has created a demand in the marketplace for rubber mulch.
 

Q: What new services or initiatives have you introduced recently?

A: A new area of the market we have recently started to focus our efforts on is commercial landscaping. Increasingly we are working with property managers, building owners and homeowners’ associations to help them reduce their annual landscaping costs with our Pinnacle Rubber Mulch. Our mulch has a 12-year warranty, allowing businesses to do away with their annual mulching labor and product costs.
 

Q: What makes you different from your competitors?

A: There are two main aspects that set us apart: our polyurethane coating and our national coverage. Our polyurethane coating bonds with the rubber and ensures that the color will stay vibrant for years to come. With our 12-year color warranty, we offer the longest and most comprehensive color warranty in the industry. Second, we have five Pinnacle distribution points across North America, enabling us to have competitive freight costs no matter where you are located.

Below, Pinnacle Rubber Mulch in a Phoenix playground. The tan color of the mulch helps maintain a lower surface temperature, the company says.