Are you sure you want Red Mulch?

The danger is that some repurposed wood used to make red mulch could contain toxic, poisonous chemicals. 

Recycled wood from construction and demolition sites may contain a chemical known as chromated copper arsenate which was banned because it contains arsenic, and it could be found in older wood buildings repurposed to make coloured mulch.

In the majority of cases, red mulch is made using iron oxide – a compound of iron and oxygen – as the dye, which is harmless to the environment, I believe.

And yes, red or black mulch will fade in a few months with rain or sun. 

(Plus, in my humble opinion anything natural dyed an un-natural colour is tacky, including blue roses, carnations, orchids. Yuck!)

But, there's no accounting for other people's taste! 

Also, I cringe when I see trees with too much mulch. Many people put too much around their trees which does more harm than good. Excessive mulch around trees will suffocate their roots, leading to poor growth, yellowing leaves, and even death. It's important to keep mulch no deeper than 2-3 inches and to avoid piling it against the trunk to prevent moisture-related decay and disease.