Tire Recycling

Tire recycling is the process of taking used tires that are no longer safe for the road and making something else from it.  Tires are produced to be durable and they take up a large amount of space which is a few reasons why most landfills will not accept tires. 

There is also the trouble of methane when the tires begin to decompose presenting new problems which has resulted in new solutions. 

Tire recycling is not new; however, there have been some recent technologies that are reforming the way tires are recycled and the uses they offer.

The United States stock pile of used tires has greatly declined since 1994 when the stock pile was about 750 million waste tires. 

In 2004 the stock pile of waste tires in the United States is about 275 million.  This decline is primarily due to the state scrap management programs. 

Stockpiled waste tires presents environmental and health risks including tire fires that can burn for months at a time and creates considerable pollution to the air and ground water. 

Stock piles of waste tires attract vermin and disease carrying mosquitoes and some of the stock piles were being built in ravines, woods and empty lots by illegal dumping.

There are tire recycling facilities located around the world that offer several types of recycling methods.

The types of recycling usually consist of one of three methods; mechanical grinding or shredding, cryogenically freezing and crushing and an ultrasound treatment as well as a microwave treatment which is being researched. 

The chain of tire recycling includes the collection and sorting, production of alternate products that can be sold and whole tire uses such as barriers for erosion control and sound barriers. 

There are a lot of innovated uses being found for discarded tires and the days of huge piles of old tires laying around for years growing higher and being a cause for concern are growing fewer as theses technologies are developed.

A growing use of recycled tires is in the form of waste to energy.  This makes use of the scrap tire to provide energy for large cement kilns as well as in the pulp and paper industries. 

Businesses are even exploring using scrap tires as a fuel source.  Whole tires are often chained together to provide a barrier in car racing and the concept of chaining tires together is being explored inproviding artificial reefs. 

One innovative use for recycled tires can be found in many playgrounds as a surface for play. 

Some areas use crumbled tires in the playground in loose form to provide a soft surface making the playground a safer area to play for the children. 

Other playgrounds use the crumbled tire that is then heated to fuse the crumbs together forming a thick, soft and solid play surface. 

Using recycled tires in the playgrounds is a very good use of the tires as well as providing safety and comfort on the playground. 

Other playground surfaces such as sand, dirt and pebbles do not provide as soft and giving of a surface as the recycled tire surface and it is durable as well.

Other very creative uses for recycled tires include floor mats and welcome mats for the home or business, shoes, swings for children, messenger bags and even jewelry. 

As people explore green technologies and ways to recycle and create new products from our discarded items the possibilities are endless.