America has quite a few tires lying around. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are around 4 billion abandoned tires in the U.S., with another 280 million being added each year.

Tires are not welcome at most landfills. By some divine force of physics, discarded tires make their way to the landfill surface and then “pop out” to create a big mess. Efforts by some states to charge a hefty disposal fee for old tires have led—quite predictably—to the common problem of illegal tire dumping. Tire-felons tend to chuck and run in woods, open fields, and wherever else they won’t get caught.

Aside from their lack of aesthetic appeal, abandoned tires are potential health, fire, and environmental hazards. Tire piles are a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes (West Nile Virus) and rodents. Left out in direct sunlight, the black piles can become heat and pressure cookers, eventually combusting into dangerous fires. Such fires can last for weeks, emitting toxic smoke and a polluting goo that seeps into surrounding land and water.

Due to the plethora of problems associated with tire trash, many states and counties are looking for viable commercial uses for old tires. Aside from “recapping” and resealing, there are several ways—from the sculptural to the industrial—to put old tires to good use.

Wildlife Recycled Tire Swings are fun and profitable answers to tire pollution. Truly a piece of art, these handmade sculpture-swings are constructed from cleaned, non-toxic, shock absorbing recycled automobile and truck tires. As an added bonus they’re locally made in the USA.

Tires that are completely unsalvageable can be processed into asphalt additive, which is used for athletic fields, playground surfaces, running tracks, shoe soles, and landscape composting. Increasingly, old tires are being converted into clean fuel in cement production, or supplemental energy in power plants and paper mills.

With so many products made from recycled rubber and energy, consider supporting businesses that make use of old tires, Most of all, don’t become just another tire brigand. The next time you need a tire change, consider donating old tires to your local recycling center . . . they’ll be put to good use.

Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Olivia Zaleski