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One of the most common waste products from autos that we tend to overlook is tires. Every year, millions of tons of tires are discarded and, frankly, something has to be done with such a mountainous pile of rubber. Not long ago tire recycling was non-existent and countless mountains of old tires remained unused. Thankfully though, many states and provinces have taken the task of tire recycling upon themselves. Along with the help of a few private organizations, most discarded tires either find their way back on the road or are put to another use.
A Short History
Before modern technology came along, our tires were made out of authentic rubber from rubber plants. Natural rubber tires were used on autos for around 40 years until World War II struck the world and many governments turned to tires (rubber) made from petroleum, as they were in need of tires in mass quantity for the war effort. Up until then, natural tires were recycled and reused, but the increased quantity of non-natural tires led to an excess of tires. Obviously, tire recycling centres could not keep up with the excess amount. The other trouble with using petroleum in rubber-making is that tire production and use are at the whims of the price of oil. For example, when the price of oil is low, tire production tends to increase, which in turn leads to an excess supply and many tons of tires sitting around unused. What to do with all of these tires?
Government Step In
The U.S. government and the Canadian government realized that with so many used and unused tires out there, something had to be done in order to make for better recycling programs. You can’t just take an old tire or two to your local landfill. Many landfills refuse to take them, since they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and take a long time to decompose. Plus, if a cache of old (or new) tires happens to catch fire, it is nearly impossible to put the flames out in short order. So we might as well do something with the tires.
What state and provincial governments started doing in the 1990s was funding tire recycling centres. Plus, many governments also mandated that auto service centres recycle their used and unused tires (tires that have long sing passed their safe usage date). In turn, governments spurred on a whole new industry that found a use for used tires.
All of this effort has led to somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80 per cent of all excess and used tires being recycled. As mentioned above, many of these tires are chopped up and remade into new tires. Other uses for recycled tires include insulation in new autos and houses, sports surfaces (i.e. tracks) and many more uses. The next time you have your tires replaced, ensure that your tire changer of choice recycles with a government or private tire recycling centre.
What Can I Do?
Most of us do not have to deal with tire recycling on a daily basis, as usually our old tires are taken care of by your tire changer of choice. However, for those who have to deal with old tires or want to get rid of a few old tires that have been sitting around, you have options. For those living in Canada, check out the Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies website at www.catraonline.ca to see where you can bring your old tires for recycling. For those living in the United States, check out the U.S. EPA’s website on the management of scrap tires at http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm. The more you can do the better, as the U.S. EPA estimates that 290 million scrap tires are produced annually, with quite a few sitting in limbo outside of service stations and various other places.
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