“Just dig a hole and throw your garbage in it.” This has been the philosophy for most of human history. And for most of human history, it worked. Because back then, garbage was made of things that would eventually decompose, or at least do no harm to the planet. But things have changed. Trash has changed. Castoff plastic is depleting marine life in the Pacific ocean, landfills are piling up with waste that won’t decompose for thousands of years, and we as a species are coming to the realization that we can’t keep this up without permanently damaging the planet. What can we do? To paraphrase Dave Chapelle, “Modern trash requires modern solutions.”
At Zohr, we care deeply about the environment, especially the waste issue. We recycle thousands of old tires every year, and we do all we can to see that they’re properly disposed of.
Within this industry, the numbers are staggering. The Scrap Tire Management Council estimates that within a given area, one tire per person per year is disposed of. Are you 36 years old? You’re responsible for 36 trashed tires. Multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of people who live in your city, and you can begin to see the mountains of old, bald tires stacking up.
Thankfully, most used tires don’t hit the landfill. They’re recycled. Most state governments, 44 of them, have even taken steps to illegalize throwing tires away. They’re considered “Special Waste,” rather than “Municipal Solid Waste.” So a tire shop can’t just chuck them in a dumpster and send them to the landfill.
Tire shops can’t just stack them up and leave them in piles, either. Unless it’s sealed to a wheel, a tire at rest will always gather water. That’s just how they’re shaped. These small pools become breeding grounds for mosquitos when tires are stored outdoors in large numbers. This is considered a public health concern.
Tires are special waste that must be specially processed. So what happens to them when they are processed? A few different things:
Tire Recycling
It’s always a good idea to recycle, but tire recycling isn’t like recycling plastic bottles or aluminum cans. Tires made with recycled rubber are legally required to contain no more than 5% post-consumer rubber. Why? Because tires are also legally required to be safe. High-post-consumer content tires have been found to be inferior to scratch-made tires in grip and durability.
Tire-Derived Fuel
You wouldn’t light a pile of tires on fire, right? Please don’t. Tire fires are extremely difficult to put out. Yet, unbelievably, about 47% of waste tires are burned. Tire-Derived Fuel, or TDF, is mostly used in the manufacture of concrete or paper, or to generate power. And while this might sound horrifying from an atmospheric perspective, the EPA concluded that most emissions were very similar to those from coal and other fossil fuels.
TDF actually has a higher BTU fuel value per pound than coal. And where it is used, it saves carbon emissions otherwise produced in the mining, processing, and transportation of coal. Plus, it reduces the actual volume of used tires out there.
The cleanest form of TDF is pyrolysis, in which tires are heated in an oxygen-free environment, breaking down the rubber into smaller molecules, which vaporize. The byproducts can all be burned as fuel. The pyrolysis process itself is clean, producing few emissions, but the complications surrounding the process often cause imperfect combustion, which can create pollutants.
Ground and Shredded Rubber
Still, burning old tires can’t be the best use for them, and as we continue to transition to clean energy, demand will drop, and air quality regulations will rise. Currently, about a quarter of all used tires are ground into crumb rubber or shredded into Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA).
Crumb rubber is used in the manufacture of rubber-modified asphalt and concrete. Moldable products, such as carpet padding, flooring materials, patio decks, speed bumps, dock bumpers, and even some sidewalks, can make great use of crumb rubber.
Meanwhile, TDA is useful as a backfill for various civil-engineering projects such as retaining walls, landslide repairs, and vibration dampening for railroads. Remarkably, TDA is also used in the construction of landfills, as fill material for gas trench collection wells. This is significant, because tires, due to their shape, used to create large and dangerous methane bubbles within landfills. They’re solving their own problems.
What’s Next for Tire Recycling?
The problem, of course, is that tires must be strong to be safe. Synthetic rubber, nylon, rayon, aramid, and other inorganic materials are ingredients used to strengthen tires, making them safer than they’ve ever been. So right now, tires can be safe or they can be clean, but they can’t be both.
Thankfully, tire manufacturers aren’t blind to this problem. Michelin hosts the Movin’On conference every year. It’s dedicated to finding sustainable tire compounds other than just rubber. They’re looking at materials derived from every organic compound from straw to beets.
As many as 11 global tire manufacturers also contribute to the Tire Industry Project, which studies more sustainable alternatives to current tires. This organization studies sustainable natural rubber compounds, end-of-life tires, and tire wear particles.
What Can You Do?
We don’t yet have an alternative to tires. We can’t go back to the iron-banded wagon wheels of early motoring (even though the sparks would look epic), and we can’t just stop driving. Instead, we must focus on reducing the waste we generate.
At Zohr, we recycle our customers’ old tires. While free tire recycling would be nice, we charge $2 to cover disposal fees. This helps make sure the tires don’t end up in a landfill after they leave our supervision.
What can you do? You can focus on reducing the number of tires you use across the lifespan of your vehicle. The best way to do this is to properly inflate your tires so you don’t wear them out before their time is up. Driving around on a low tire can cause it to wear unevenly, creating a weak spot which will ultimately lead to early replacement. Proper tire rotation can also reduce uneven wear. Read our articles on how to check tire pressure and how to properly rotate your tires to learn more.
Another idea is to repair, rather than replace any punctured tires. Most punctures are safely repairable, with patches lasting the life of the tires. Repair will save you a ton of money, too. Zohr offers tire repair services, so schedule a repair before a replacement the next time you find a nail in your tire.
Finally, if you end up with a used tire, don’t just throw it in the trash. Head to your local solid waste disposal center to recycle it, or hang onto it until your next service from Zohr, and we’ll recycle it for you.
As technology marches on, new solutions will take shape, thus eliminating our waste tire problem. Until then, we at Zohr, your trusted mobile tire repair provider, promise to responsibly recycle every used tire we process.
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