Tire Recycling Methods
Approximately 290 million tires are discarded each year by Americans. It is important to know ways that help minimize this number. Learn ways you can cut down on tire disposal by knowing ways to recycle and take care of your existing tires.
- Take care of your tires. Properly maintaining your tires increases their life. This saves you money because you can use them longer before they need to be replaced. Keep your tires inflated to the correct air pressure specified in your car’s manual. If you don’t have an owner’s manual, check with your local tire dealer or the manufacturer for more details. Have your tires rotated approximately every 6,000 miles. Drive carefully by avoiding potholes, sharp corners and debris in the road.
- Know how to recycle your tires. Review your state’s laws and regulations for tire recycling. When you need to get new tires, ask the facility manager what will happen to the old ones. Sometimes, the facility will collect a fee from customers to pay for proper tire recycling. The recycled tires can then be used for fuel, or they can be ground into rubber-modified asphalt, athletic tracks and rubber lumber. Used tires have many constructive uses and shouldn’t just be thrown away as trash.
- Report illegal tire disposal. Review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s booklet online to learn more about illegal tire dumping so that you can know when someone is disposing of tires illegally. If someone is, alert the proper authorities to prevent it from happening again.