Waste 2 Resources > Waste Tires > Waste Tire Recycling and Reuse

Tire Recycling and Reuse - Updated November 2008

Each year, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) collects data on tire recycling and reuse (required by law in RCW 70.95.545). The table below shows the reported recycling, reuse, and disposal data for 2002 to 2008. The total estimated number of waste tires generated in 2008 is over 5 million tires. An estimated total of 87,383 tons of waste tires generated in 2008. The total reported tire disposal, recycling, and reuse in Washington for 2008 (see the chart below) is 84,895 tons. This is the total of the 26,590 tons landfilled, 40,124 tons recycled, 5,912 tons of tires bales used in construction, 8,440 tons used as energy, and 3,829 tons retreaded. Reporting of tire bale use is only available after 2006.

Tire Reuse

Waste tires can be reused as:

• Floor mats, belts, gaskets, shoe soles, dock bumpers, seals, muffler hangers, shims, and washers. After steel bead removal, waste tires are cut, punched and stamped into various rubber products.
• Retreads, also known as recaps. This manufacturing process extends the tire's life. Retreading saves millions of gallons of oil each year because it takes only 7 gallons of oil to retread a used tire compared to 22 gallons to produce a new tire. The word retread also refers to a tire taken through this process.
• Energy. Waste tires are used as fuel because of their high heating value. Burning waste tires is not recycling (under the state's definition), but is considered a higher use than landfilling. Tires used for fuel are shredded - known as tire-derived fuel (TDF) - or whole, depending on the type of combustion device. In Washington State, the cement industry uses TDF.
• Tire Chips. These are used as an alternate daily cover for some municipal landfills.

Tire Recycling

Waste tires are recycled for:

• Civil engineering applications. They replace some construction material such as lightweight fill materials like expanded shale or polystyrene insulation blocks, drainage aggregate, or even soil or clean fill. Examples of civil engineering applications include:
• Subgrade fill and embankments.
• Backfill for walls and bridge abutments.
• Subgrade insulation for roads.
• Playground surface material.
• Gravel substitute.
• Ground rubber applications. Also referred to as sized-reduced rubber or crumb rubber. This material increases the resiliency of the sports/playground surfaces thereby decreasing injuries. Examples of sports/playground uses include:
  
  

  Recycled rubber products

• Ground cover under playground equipment.
• Running track material
• Sports and playing fields
• Other ground rubber applications. Include the following:
• Ground tire rubber blended with asphalt for road construction
• Molded rubber products.
• Brake pads and brake shoes.
• Additive to injection molded and extruded plastics.
• Automotive parts.
• Agricultural and horticultural applications/soil amendments.
• Horse arena footing.