How many tires are discarded each year

Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Peter Macdiarmid Getty Images. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Tires are some of the most important pieces of equipment on a car. After all, they make contact with the pavement to propel you along. We usually don't pay much attention to tires, though, unless they're not performing , such as when they go flat or they slide around due to lack of traction.

There's one group of people, though, that does think about tires: environmentalists. All tires wear out. In the United States, we wear out and dispose of about million tires every year. Where do all those old tires go? In the past, old tires usually went to the local landfill or were burnt.

Environmentalists will tell you that neither of these solutions was good for the environment. Burning old rubber tires releases dangerous toxins and pollutes the air.

Since old tires don't biodegrade , throwing them away in a landfill simply means they'll keep stacking up over time, taking up tremendous amounts of space. They also become havens for rats and mosquitoes to breed. Years ago, some landfills became so-called "tire mountains" due to the sheer number of old tires that had been discarded in them. Before states began to pass scrap tire laws in the s, there were approximately billion tires stockpiled in landfills.

In fact, old tires have gone from an environmental nuisance to a recycling success story over the last 25 years. When you buy a new set of tires today, the dealer will usually recycle your old tires for you. Of course, some people might use their old tires for a new purpose, such as turning them into a tire swing or garden planters.

Alternatively, you can check with your local community recycling center for details on how and where to drop off old tires to be recycled. When old tires get recycled, they're shipped to a commercial reprocessing plant to be treated with chemicals that break them down into material that can be reused.

That material is then ground up into tiny pieces. The EPA estimates there are currently more than different products made out of material that comes from recycled tires. For example, recycled tire material is used to make rubberized asphalt, which in turn is used to resurface many roads. Recycled tire material also finds its way into all sorts of other products, including: rubber-encased railroad ties, rubber composite decks, sports courts, running tracks, playground surfaces, public walkways, garden mulch, construction backfill, erosion control barriers, and molded automobile parts, such as engine belts and floor mats.

In some areas, old tires are burnt as an alternative fuel source to generate power. Are you tired yet? We hope not! Don't forget to check out the following activities with a friend or family member:. We agree!! Have you ever been to a playground that used recycled tires for the playground surface? Thanks for sharing, Bob! It is definitely not safe to drive with old, worn out tires, and it's best to recycle these old tires! Hi, Brady! We try to recycle and reuse tires whenever possible because tires do not biodegrade.

Hey I like what you said and you can look at the emojis to find out the answer is and I want you to find what I said about things I don't understand! My name is Josey. We're so glad that you liked Wonder Who Invented Emojis? Regardless of the efficiency, the fumes that are being released from tire burning have been shown to be extremely toxic to human health and harmful to the environment.

In addition to toxic air emissions, the burning of tires creates water and soil pollution. As a result, cleaning up tire fire locations is extremely costly and can often lead to Superfund status. While not technically recycling, burning tires as fuel is one of the uses for scrap tires, known in the industry as tire-derived fuel TDF. However, the United States is better-equipped with regulations and technology to control TDF combustion emissions than other parts of the world.

In fact, the durability of tires is one of the main hurdles faced in recycling tires, but it is also one of the main benefits in repurposing scrap tires.

When tire recycling first began, the equipment and processing methods were costly. And when waste tires collect rain water, they act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests. Last, but not least, burying is expensive. Grinding up just one trailer of tires uses enough energy to power a home for 3 months. And 40, trailer loads are processed every year! You could power an average American home for 6, years with that much energy! Just as concerning, a NBC investigative report presented circumstantial evidence linking the crumb rubber used on sports fields to cancer in young athletes.

The EPA is now formally investigating crumb rubber safety.