You know that ensuring proper end-of-life tire disposal through recycling is an essential part of your business. But, have you ever thought about what happens to those tires after you or a disposal company sends them to be recycled?
After customers purchase replacements or simply come to you with old tires, ideally, your shop should offer customers tire recycling services. If your location can’t recycle onsite or doesn’t offer it, refer customers to licensed waste management providers who can properly recycle tires in a permitted, sustainable manner.
Once you’ve recycled the tires, they can find new life through responsible recycling programs. The cement industry, for example, shreds used tires and utilizes the materials for fuel and as raw material sources. Steel and silica found within tires also can be used as secondary raw materials.
Recycled tire rubber also can help manufacture new consumer and industrial products. For example, shredded rubber is converted into building insulation and sports field elastic filler material and can even be ground to use as asphalt additives to reduce road noise. Tire recycling facilities first separate the steel and textile components, which go into general recycling streams. The remaining rubber is then shredded into graded granules suited for these secondary uses.
Tire recycling can also be a sustainable way to manufacture new tires. For example, tire manufacturers like Continental can harvest waste rubber for reuse in tire production at the same time as end-of-life truck tires are retreaded and brought back into service.
Embracing tire recycling not only fulfills your responsibility as a tire dealer or shop owner but also contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future. By utilizing tire recycling services, you are actively participating in a process that transforms discarded tires into valuable resources.
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