Tyres are typical by-products of vehicles. They often need a change due to wear and tear. Also, tyres may crack or have holes in them. Disposing old tyres could be a challenge due to their shape and non-biodegradability. The conventional method of car tyres disposal is stockpiling or dumping illegally. These methods only provide a short term solution. With time, they take up a lot of space and could be hazardous if caught by fire.
Long term solutions involve car tyre recycling, and this is an efficient method for your local tyre disposal. There are various ways to recycle tyres, either for cash or as a DIY project. If you hire a company to recycle for you, you might need to pay a tyre disposal charge. In all, your waste tyre disposal should involve an environment-friendly method. As a result, this article would enlighten you about recycling, the ways and how to re-use your old tyres creatively.
What Is Tyre Recycling?
Tyre recycling is the process of reusing old and used tyres for new purposes. The old tyres are no longer suitable for vehicles. The three main ways of recycling tyres in the UK include:
Ambient Mechanical Grinding
When you recycle tyres through the ambient method, the product is a smooth rubber particle. The scrap tyre breaks at ambient temperature and passes through a shredder. After which the products pass through a granulator which removes steel and fibre while further refining the product. Then the products pass through a secondary granulator to achieve a smoother outcome. They could be used as cement aggregates or as roadway pavements.
Cryogenic Grinding
Cryogenic grinding is a tyre recycling method in the UK that involves grinding using liquid nitrogen at low temperatures. Exposing the waste tyres to low temperatures causes brittleness. Therefore, they break down quickly after this process. The four phases of cryogenic grinding include size reduction, cooling, separation and milling. The method uses minimal energy. The car tyre recycling method using cryogenic grinding produces a more delicate result. They can be used to cover running tracks or as athletic field turfs.
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a common method for local tyre disposal. It involves the thermal decomposition of waste tyres in the absence of oxygen. The process is irreversible. The rubber is softened in a reactor, and by consequence, the tyre molecules break. Since oxygen is absent, the waste tyre does not combust. Pyrolysis produces a liquid, a gas and a solid.
Why You Should Recycle Old Tyres
The old tyres are a significant source of waste due to their large volume and the space they occupy. Also, they have long durability and are environmentally harmful. A suitable method for your car tyre disposal is to recycle and reuse them. Stockpiling tyres provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes and vermin. Also, a stockpile of waste tyres is prone to an accidental fire, which is a significant source of pollution.
Since tyres have been banned from landfill sites as a result of the 2006 EU landfill directive; the next step is recycling old tyres. Since the directive started, the UK has been able to recycle tyres frequently to achieve a zero waste economy. Due to this, illegal dumping or car tyre disposal is going against rules and regulations.
How To Dispose Of Tyres
Tyres have a high quantity of raw materials such as steel, textile and rubber. Car tyre recycling could produce a lot of results. These results derived from car tyres recycling in the UK are a far better option to just burning of tyres. Old tyres are suitable for some very beneficial purposes after recycling:
- As cement concrete aggregate: Car tyres recycling using this method involves using the tyres as crumbs for pavements.
- As barriers: When you don’t know where you can dispose of old tyres, use them as barriers. When old tyres are bound together, they help control erosion and reduce collision.
- Recycling rubber in the UK could involve using them as garden beds to hold water. They help to prevent the growth of weeds.
- An old tyre could serve as fuel in manufacturing industries
- As tyre derived aggregate: This is also known as shredded tyres. They have many uses in civil engineering and roadway repair projects.
- Rubber recycling involves reducing the size of the rubber. The end-products include flooring materials, patio decks, sidewalks, rubber tiles.
- Tyres recycling could also involve shoe products and use in basketball courts.
How Can Old Tyres Be Re-used?
In cases where you do not recycle your old tyres, you can get creative with them. There are a lot of uses for your old tyres.
- Recycle tyres for swings: Tyre swings are one of the most common ways to re-use tyres. They provide good swings for children. Also, it is straightforward to do. All you need is a big tree and rope. You can make a hole beneath the waste tyre to prevent the accumulation of rainwater. A major way to do this is to look for schools around, give them the tyres and make tyre swings for the kids.
- Tyre flower plants: They provide an excellent outdoor decoration and DIY potted plant. Not sure how to dispose of tyres? Turn them into pots for flowers and plants. However, they should not be used for edibles as they contain dangerous chemicals. Consider them only for decorations in your homes.
- Tyre art: Another way for the disposal of your old tyres is to give them to people that will use them for arts. Old tyres can be used to form different sculpture and shapes.
- Tyre stools: Recycling car tyres into stools is a straightforward and perfect project. They could be for outdoor or indoor purposes. You can add cushion to the seats and cover them with beautiful materials.
- Recycled tyre ladder: A tyre ladder is not typical for car tyre recycling. However, it is a way for your local tyre disposal. Also, tyre swings and tyre ladders used together can make a beautiful setting for a kid’s playground. They are comfortable and fun to climb.
- Give them to local parks and zoos: Tyres are useful in the dens of big cats like lions. Also, animals like monkeys, squirrels could find good use for waste tyres.
- For athletic purposes: Car tyres disposal could also involve making exercise equipment for athletic training and gyms. They are suitable for exercises like jump squats, tyre drills or tyre lifting. Still not sure of how to dispose of tyres? Give it out to your local gym. Also, events like car racing often use waste car tyres. The tyres provide cushioning against crashes compared to concrete or steel walls. Thus, it prevents injury.
- As farm equipment: You could consider recycling your old tyres by giving it out to farmers or horse breeders. This tyre waste disposal mechanism allows you to get rid of waste tyres quickly. Many cattle farmers reuse their tyres as water troughs for cattle.
Tips To Consider When Disposing Of Your Tyre
- In cases when you are not sure of where you can dispose of old tyres, contact your local council. Contacting your local council will help you to know more about the policies and rules governing car tyre disposal.
- You can look for specialised firms that deal with tyre recycling in the UK. They offer tyre disposal services at a specific cost. There is almost no way for car tyre disposal without a charge. If you have a lot of old tyres that need recycling, they are a good option for you.
- If you hire a company, be sure they have a waste carrier license. Only waste carriers with a permit are allowed to recycle tyres.
- Check if your local auto shop services include car tyre disposal. Depending on your location, the cost of a new tyre may consist of a tax that helps to fund the disposal of your old car tyre. Also, the auto shop that fixes a new tyre for you may have a tyre disposal mechanism in the UK.
- If recycling car tyres yourself, remove the rim and wheel weight. However, leaving tyre recycling to professionals is much better.
- Before recycling car tyres, consider re-using them or giving them out. Most times, there is a school or gym that would effectively use your old tyres.
Why You Should Never Burn Old Tyres?
It could be hard to know what do with old tyres, especially when you cannot just burn them. Burning old tyres could cause smoke in the vicinity leading to environmental pollution. Also, inhaling the smoke could cause health hazards like pneumonia, and asthma. The toxic chemicals released into the air pose a threat to the environment. The best thing to do is to recycle tyres. It is a violation of the rules to burn tyres or illegally dump them.
Now that you are aware of how to dispose of tyres, ensure that you refrain from stockpiling or burning old tyres. If you cannot re-use it and not sure how to go about your local tyre disposal, hire a waste disposal company. At TJC Transport, we consider recycling and waste management very important. We make use of environment-friendly methods so let us help in the disposal of your car tyres at an affordable cost.
