Where Do Old Tyres Go?
With so many cars on the roads in Great Britain alone, it is no wonder disposing of old tyres is so important. It is now a legal requireMent that they are reused or recycled - they are no longer allowed to go to landfill. So what are they used for? Half of them are broken down in some way and recycled, while a quarter of them are given a new purpose in life. The remaining tyres are resold as part-worn tyres, and they may be retreaded first.
The tyres that are broken down go on to be used in a wide variety of ways. They can be broken down into granules which can then be used as they are. The granules can be used in gardening as a mulch in place of bark chips. This isn't just a case of making do - they are actually better than bark chips as they never need replacing! The tyre granules can also be fashioned into soft, safe, springy surfaces for children's playgrounds or athletic tracks. Alternatively the granules can be pressed into blocks to surface level crossings and roads, or flattened into sheets to fit as an underlay beneath carpets. Cut into pieces, tyres can be used to create pencil cases, notebook covers, the soles of shoes, and even trugs and kneepads for gardening.
If you have any unused tyres lying around, there are so many different ways it can be used without breaking it down. They can be rammed with earth or filled with concrete and used like bricks for building walls or stacked together under the ocean to create artificial reefs to provide a habitat for a variety of sealife. In the garden they can be used as planters, stacked one on top of the other as high as you want and then filled with soil. Things like potatoes that need earthing regularly, and rhubarb that needs forcing. A cold frame is easy to build with an old tyre and a sheet of glass or perspex.
Tyres make a perfect cheap, recycled toy for children. They can be slung with ropes or chains from a tree to make a swing for children (or monkeys at the zoo!). You can set up an obstacle course around the garden for an army style workout, or use a tractor tyre as the basis of a sandpit.
The compound that car tyres are made from is extremely long lasting and doesn't break down if it goes into landfill, so it's good that we are continually finding new ways to make use of them once they are too worn to stay on our cars.
Where Do Old Tyres Go?
Where Do Old Tyres Go?
