Recycling Tires

This is a tough one, but one that is serious enough for several companies to have begun looking for answers. Something like 240 million tires are discarded in the U.S. each year. These tires pose a very serious threat to the environment. Aside from taking up huge amounts of landfill space, they tend to rise to the top. Tires catch on fire very easily, and this can result in a very dangerous situation. Only about 20%% of used tires are suitable for retreading. Some old tires wind up padding docks and swinging in back yards, but until recently, most of them have just been piling up. Recently, entrepreneurs have been trying to find uses for old tires. They are shredding them for fuel, mixing them with highway asphalt and using them to soften airport runways. One company uses the tires for rubber mats, garbage cans and other products. Since tire disposal costs are skyrocketing, state and city regulations are going to have a big effect on how it's done. Disposal costs range from twenty five to fifty cents a tire. One state has begun to have a surcharge on new tire sales in order to finance disposal. What can you do right now? Try to make your tires last as long as is safely possible. Buy long-lasting, fuel efficient tires. Check with your dealer about "rolling resistance" and mileage performance before you buy tires. Keep your tires properly inflated, balanced and rotated. Don't dispose of tires yourself. If they can't be recapped, give them to the dealer where you buy your new tires and request that they be properly disposed of.