It’s estimated that in the United States alone, some 300 million tires will be discarded this year. That’s approximately one tire per person. That’s a lot of rubber material to deal with. Fortunately, when your tires are no longer usable for your car, they can be recycled and used for other purposes. One very popular and growing usage is known as tire mulch or rubber mulch and it is becoming more and more common on playgrounds, in gardens, and elsewhere throughout the US.
How does it happen?
Specialty companies, such as Modern Corporation, provide
tire pickup services. Using rugged machines, whole tires are
first shredded into strips. These strips are then placed into
grinding machines which use rotors to remove the steel fibers and
any debris from the tires while further refining them. Many
processors also use powerful magnets to remove fine metal from the
rubber. After the steel has been removed, the rubber is
transferred into granulators. The rubber can then be milled
into various size granules that are useful in a number of
industries.
Child’s play
In a growing number of playgrounds, the surface is made from your
recycled tires. The surface can be made up of bits of
shredded tires or it can be a smooth surface manufactured from the
shredded tires. In addition to softer landings, the recycled
tires provide a surface that is springy; many children enjoy
walking and running on it because they like how it feels under
their feet. Many adults appreciate it because, unlike wood
chips, it will not get infested by bugs. It is softer than
other playground surfaces, but it can also look far nicer.
When tires are recycled as playground-surfacing material, colors
can enter the picture. The result can be a customized look;
for example, if a playground uses two main colors, the surface
material can feature the requested color.
A beautiful
addition to your garden
Whether you love to garden or hire a landscaper to care for your
lawn and garden, you want it to look its best. Weeds are not
welcome but they are also difficult to control. Tires can be
recycled for this purpose, as well. Tire mulch or rubber
mulch is becoming very popular for garden use. Tire mulch
provides a unique layer of protection for your plants; it offers
weed control while still allowing water to reach the plants.
It is not prone to insect infestation, like some other types of
ground cover can be. Finally, it can bring color to your
garden in a whole new way. If you are looking to complement
your exterior décor with a particular color, such as brick red,
rubber mulch may be the product for you.
Cost effective option
Some types of ground cover are prone to blowing away when it is
windy, while others begin to look sparse or worn after a year or
so. Tire mulch has the kind of staying power you are looking
for; this is an added bonus in terms of cost because it means you
will not have to add a new layer every year as you might need to
with some other ground cover options. Furthermore, many
rubber mulches come with a lifetime guarantee – so you can rest
assured that you are making a practical investment.
The Tire Pros at Dunn Tire are proud to participate in a program to recycle all old tires. For more information about our recycling policy, please feel free to contact us… we’d be happy to hear from you.