Recycling of used tires (2024)

You are here:

1. Home
2. Waste management
3. Recycling used tires - Useful information for protecting the environment

Environmental pollution is an extremely dangerous phenomenon that affects people's lives. Among the waste that can be found everywhere are used car tires. Fortunately, however, used tires are a type of reusable waste, because they are durable and can be transformed into other objects by various methods. Thus, many of the used tires are recovered. In this way nature is successfully protected and becomes much cleaner and healthier for everyone.

In the article below you will discover useful information about the collection and recycling of used tires, about end-of-life tires and how they affect the environment, you will know the importance of recycling used tires, what are its benefits and stages, but also what it says about this according to Romanian and European Union legislation. In addition, you will discover how recycled rubber can be transformed to give it a new life.

1. Collection and recycling of used tires

Tires, after the period of car exploitation, are effectively recovered by repair and retreading. However, this phenomenon can only be done a few times and it should be noted that not all tires can go through this operation. Their collection is mandatory, but tires are not always picked up by waste collection centers due to the fact that their size requires special storage conditions.

Thus, various companies have emerged that successfully manage to provide help in compliance with waste management legislation, as well as technical and operational help. Practically, they imply the existence of a dedicated environmental engineer, with whose support they will draw up the environmental file, keep waste management records, will train employees on the prevention of waste generation and the obligation of selective waste collection, etc.

1.1. What are used tires and how do they affect the environment?

Used tires are car tires that have reached the end of their life, which can no longer fulfill the purpose for which they were manufactured. The material from which they are made is very robust, resistant to different environmental conditions, durable over time, so their removal will be very difficult.

Car tires are indispensable for people in transportation activities, but their disposal can bring with it various problems that will have an impact on the environment. Among these can be mentioned:

• Pollution of nature with various dangerous substances is a real fact, because tires contain heavy metals and dangerous substances, which can infiltrate into the soil and affect fauna, flora and human life.
• Landfill congestion can become an extremely demanding phenomenon for companies dealing with this process, so it is important that they have controlled environments in this regard. Moreover, the limited space they have will not allow bringing a very large number of used tires.
• The danger of fire is obvious in a place where there are such products, because they are basically fuel that keeps the fire going. Fires caused by burning tires are very powerful and much more difficult to control or extinguish.
• End-of-use rubbers remain a danger to the health of nature and the population, because they could become an ideal environment for the development of bacteria and pests, which can lead to the appearance of serious ailments.

1.2. Collection of used tires

Tires that are no longer used are not collected by the usual companies that deal with the selection and collection of waste, because they assume, from the beginning, a generous place to store them (due to their large dimensions). However, throwing them away is not legal and could lead to substantial fines, so economic operators try to reuse and recycle them. This collection activity is handled by services, vulcanizations and all companies authorized to sell tires.

1.3. Solutions to reduce waste from used tires

The existing problems related to the collection and recycling of tires that can no longer be put back into use in the automotive field could partially disappear if other solutions are also addressed, some of which concern the reduction of the amount of waste from used tires:

• Prohibition of the entry into Romania of any amount of used tires, which is not reported and supervised on the territory of the country;
• Realizing the difference between used tires second hand and those used as waste, obtaining proof from the sender;
• Effective engagement of quality control bodies for tires second hand;
• Permanent updating of normative acts and the reevaluation of the field of costs, taxes, fines.

2. The advantages of tire recycling

Tires are mostly made of natural rubber (80-90%), so this material can easily be put back into circulation, even if the period of use in the automotive field has long passed. Thrown into the environment, used tires will not decompose and contaminate the ecosystem and human health. The recycling process comes with numerous advantages that must be known in detail, so that the fight against pollution is stronger and is embraced by future generations.

2.1. The benefits of tire recycling for the environment

If at the global level adequate measures have been taken to recycle used tires, in Romania big steps are only now being taken in this direction. Some benefits of protecting the environment by recycling used tires are presented below:

• Recycling involves reducing the amount of waste produced by people, residues that affect nature;
• Chemicals that have energy potential can be obtained from used tires;
• Through recycling, new products can be manufactured, highly appreciated by the population (for example, artificial turf, ideal for gardens in very dry areas, with less fertile soil or for owners who do not have much time at their disposal to work and care for the soil );
• The tire recycling activity also involves the creation of new jobs and a much healthier economy;
• Effective management of used tires prevents air pollution;
• Reduces the risk of fires;
• The problem of storing this type of waste is reduced.

2.2. The stages of recycling used tires

The recycling process of used tires, which can no longer be reused in the automotive field, is carried out according to the following stages:

• Collect. This procedure is carried out by specialized companies, which provide documentary and technical-logistical support;
• Transport. Used tires will be transported with the help of special machines and authorized personnel;
• Processing. Tires are shredded, treated with certain chemicals, and turned into fine powder or rubber granules. This process can be done mechanically, with the help of a special machine that shreds the rubber, or cryogenically, through a process of freezing with liquid nitrogen;
• Screening stage. It is observed if there are still traces of wire in the newly obtained material;
• Cleaning. The new rubber material is thoroughly washed with water or special substances;
• Packaging. The result obtained after recycling is packaged and sent to companies that need such raw material for the creation of new products.

High purity components go through a mechanical procedure divided into several phases: removing the mechanical ring from the bead, crushing, granulation, grinding with blades (a means by which the rubber is turned into powder).

Currently, the most important solution for recycling used tires is the pyrolysis process, which turns them into finished products, without affecting people's health in any way. This technology requires low energy consumption, no polluting emissions and waste water, complete tire recycling.

2.3. European Union legislation on tire recycling

Law GD no. 170/2004 stipulates several obligations for operators and economic agents. Thus, economic operators must collect used tires, considering the quantities they introduced on the market in the previous year. Also, they must reuse, retread, recycle or thermally utilize the full amount of used tires collected. Economic agents must avoid disposing of used tires on land or in water, avoid their incineration, hand over to dealers of new/used tires intended for reuse and hand them over to operators specialized in their collection and recovery.

Tire recycling in Romania has been meeting European Union directives lately, but it is still at the bottom of the ranking, with a rate four times lower than the European average. Unfortunately, our country has not been able to achieve its proposed goal of 50% recycling of municipal waste in 2020. Regarding recycled tires, the percentage is very low. So far the only solution found has been to incinerate the tires in cement factories or to store them in landfills.

At the level of the European Union, three types of systems can be highlighted that successfully manage the flow of this waste:

• tire manufacturers must take care of end-of-life tires;
• the state takes care of used tires (the customer pays a fee for this when buying new tires);
• understanding and cooperation between companies on a voluntary basis.

3. What can be made from recycled rubber

After collection and recycling, the obtained rubber can be used in different fields of activity, contributing to the well-being of the population and protecting the environment:

• Tires can be used quite often as fuel, having flammable properties. It is important that they burn in a controlled environment, otherwise fires can be devastating;
• They can still be used after recycling to stabilize slopes, repair public roads, facilitating the reduction of vibrations. In California, a process was developed to transform used tires into asphalt, the product obtained being clearly superior to the old one;
• Rubber court is preferred by children in the playground, so it is more and more common all over the world. It is soft, does not hurt the little ones and can be easy to clean and maintain. Thus, rubber began to be increasingly used to create modern and safe playgrounds;
• The rubber granules obtained from recycling are also used for the manufacture of various plastics or for sealing materials;
• Rubber powder is a high-performance material that has no negative effect on people;
• In general, tires are about 20% steel, so the material can be collected and sent back to factories to take the form of various objects needed in industry;
• Recycled rubber can be an excellent base for various carpets needed in the home (in the bathroom, kitchen, on the balcony, in the garage, etc.), in cars or in different companies;
• Used tires can also be given a new life through special projects. In a short time, with care, desire and some knowledge, you can create different pieces of garden furniture, baskets, storage shelves, other interesting objects;
• The footwear industry can use this rubber to manufacture different perfectly functional products in different activities.

In conclusion, used tires should not be stored nearby or haphazardly thrown away, but should be returned to be sent to recycling centers. To outsource this service, companies can call on special companies, which bring together sanitation agencies, economic agencies, collection and recycling centers.

Photo sources: pexels.com