Used car tires are among the most problematic waste in today’s society. With hundreds of millions of vehicles running in the United States alone, disposing of old tires is considered to be an epidemic in the auto industry. The most common car tires are manufactured with 45% to 50% rubber, 10% to 15% steel, and 3% to 5% textile. Fortunately, this composition makes old car tires one of the most recyclable materials on earth.
Before disposing of used tires in American Fork, Utah or in any other cities, ask a local mechanic or auto shop if the tires cannot be retreaded. If the tires can be retreaded, it can save you a lot of money instead of having to buy new tires for your car. You can also ask the auto shop if they can recycle the old tires for you. They can give you a discount if you are going to give them the old tires in exchange for new ones.
Why Recycle Old Tires?
Recycling old tires should not be a question. Not only is the rubber used in tires completely reusable and for good purposes, but the rim and wheel weights can be recycled for better use, too. Every year, there are almost 300 million tires put to waste in the United States. That’s at least one tire for every person.
Putting old tires in landfills can cause a lot of problems. Because they trap water, tires become homes to rodents and mosquitoes, both of which bring health problems. They also consume a lot of space in a landfill and create risks of fire. Tire fires are usually the hardest to contain.
Why not recycle tires when their shredded and chipped versions can be used as tire-derived fuel (TDF)? This type of fuel produces 25% more energy than coal, and it can be used in the manufacturing sector or as a supplement to the wood in the paper industry or to fuel in an electric power facility.
How to Recycle Old Tires?
The most popular reuse of old tires is to turn them into swings in playgrounds or as planters and compost bins in the garden. But creative minds have found great ways to reuse old car tires. You can convert them into a bed for your dog by filling the hole with a large mattress or using them as an ottoman by covering them up with a chosen material such as abaca thread.
Old tires can also be transformed into hammocks, coffee tables, sandboxes, chairs, trash bins, building materials, wreath, and many more. There are many facilities around the United States that will offer to take old tires off your hands so that they can turn them into useful materials. Some are even willing to pay a considerable amount of money for the tires.
When thinking of how to dispose of tires, go with the method that is beneficial to the environment. Tires can be incredibly useful when recycled properly. But when they are treated like garbage, they clog landfills, which can result in accidents.
