| The tires we put on our cars are made of | | | | toxic fuel alternative or just dumped in |
| rubber, a renewable resource, right? Not so; | | | | landfills. You can also save some cash in the |
| well over 90% of all tires are made from | | | | process. |
| synthetics - and they have certainly proved | | | | |
| to be an environmental headache. | | | | Extend tire life by: |
| | | | |
| In the USA, about 300 million tires are | | | | - ensuring they are inflated to proper levels |
| scrapped or dumped per year. | | | | |
| | | | - check inflation levels weekly |
| Tires tend to be dumped in huge piles. If | | | | |
| these piles should be set alight, the smoke | | | | - don't speed |
| is an extraordinarily toxic cocktail and the | | | | |
| runoff from melted residue can contaminate | | | | - corner, brake and start off gently |
| groundwater. | | | | |
| | | | - ensure your tires are properly balanced and |
| Tires left sitting around in the open also | | | | rotated regularly |
| collect rainwater and become perfect breeding | | | | |
| grounds for mosquitos. | | | | - don't overload your vehicle.Tires can also |
| | | | be recycled for many other uses. As far as |
| While there's been a lot of talk about | | | | I'm aware, the key is that the tires not be |
| recycling tires, 25% still wind up in | | | | burned - that's the greatest danger. |
| landfills and nearly nearly half of reclaimed | | | | |
| tires in the USA are utilized as "Tire | | | | Other ways tires are currently being reused: |
| Derived Fuel" (TDF), usually burned alongside | | | | |
| other fuels such as coal. | | | | - insulation blocks |
| | | | |
| Burning tires creating huge amounts of toxic | | | | - drainage aggregate |
| air pollution, oil, and heavy metals; | | | | |
| including: | | | | - clean fill |
| | | | |
| - benzene (carcinogen) | | | | - planters for tomatoes and potatoes |
| | | | |
| - lead | | | | - floor mats |
| | | | |
| - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | | | | - belts |
| | | | |
| - butadiene (central nervous system damage, | | | | - gaskets |
| carcinogen) | | | | |
| | | | - shoe soles |
| - styrene (potential carcinogen) | | | | |
| | | | - seals |
| - dioxins | | | | |
| | | | - washersOne of my favorite uses is the |
| - furansSo unfortunately, taking them to | | | | potato planter. You lay down a tire, fill |
| recycling centers mightn't be that earth | | | | with soil, then when the potato has sprouted |
| friendly after all. Check with the center | | | | and the leaves reach higher than a width of a |
| that you go to regarding what happens to the | | | | tire, then add another tire and put in soil, |
| tires they collect. While tires are a | | | | covering the plant except for the topmost |
| necessary evil in our modern lives, there's | | | | leaves. Repeat the process throughout the |
| other things we can do to reduce the number | | | | life of the plant and you'll have a huge crop |
| of tires that may wind up being used as a | | | | of potatoes! |