page_title: Tire recycling
section_title: Repurposing
hierarchical_section_title: Tire recycling / Uses / Repurposing
caption_attribution_description: English: Three boys are on a tire swing
context_page_description: Tire recycling, or rubber recycling, is the process of recycling waste tires that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damage. These tires are a challenging source of waste, due to the large volume produced, the durability of the tires, and the components in the tire that are ecologically problematic.
  Because tires are highly durable and non-biodegradable, they can consume valued space in landfills. In 1990, it was estimated that over 1 billion scrap tires were in stockpiles in the United States. As of 2015, only 67 million tires remain in stockpiles. From 1994 to 2010, the European Union increased the amount of tires recycled from 25% of annual discards to nearly 95%, with roughly half of the end-of-life tires used for energy, mostly in cement manufacturing.
  Newer technology, such as pyrolysis and devulcanization, has made tires suitable targets for recycling despite their bulk and resilience. Aside from use as fuel, the main end use for tires remains ground rubber.
  In 2017, 13% of U.S. tires removed from their primary use were sold in the used tire market.
context_section_description: Aside from recycling old tires, the old tire can be put to a new use.
  Old tires are sometimes converted into a swing for play.  The innovative use allows for an easy way to find a purpose for an existing old tire not suitable for road use.
  Used tires are also employed as exercise equipment for athletic programs such as American football. One classic conditioning drill that hones players' speed and agility is the "Tire Run" where tires are laid out side by side, with each tire on the left a few inches ahead of the tire on the right in a zigzag pattern.  Athletes then run through the tire pattern by stepping in the center of each tire.  The drill forces athletes to lift their feet above the ground higher than normal to avoid tripping. Other athletic uses include tire flipping (tractor or large truck tires typically used) or for upper cardio conditioning by hitting a tire repetitively with a sledge hammer.
  Re-purposed tires can also be harnessed as an affordable alternative building material used in the framework of rammed Earth thermal mass dwellings. This is beneficial across scales of production such as individually sustainable housing.
  Rows of stacks of tyres are often used as barriers in motor racing circuits as a method of dissipating kinetic energy over a longer period of time during a crash, comparatively to striking a less malleable material such as a concrete or steel wall.
  Many cattle farmers re-purpose old tractor tires as water troughs for their cattle by placing them over natural springs or by piping stream water into them.  These tires contain the water and allow it to pool for the cattle without any additional interaction from the farmer.  Most farmers also include a drainage pipe near the top or in the center of the tire so excess water can drain off to prevent overflow and erosion around the outside of the tire where the cattle would be.
caption: Three boys are on a tire swing
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