Recycling Tires - Research Paper Example

Recycling Tires Introduction Recycling has been described as the steps taken to process used materials that are mostly considered waste into new products that can be utilized so as to prevent so as to prevent the waste of products that are potentially useful (Ackerman, p. 23). Recycling is also aimed at reducing the consumption of unused raw materials, reducing air and water pollution, lowering the emission of greenhouse gases and reducing the use of energy (Burn, p. 615). Recycling can only be done on various recyclable materials which include electronics, papers, textiles, glass, plastic, metals, tires and many other products (Carl, p. 98). Tire recycling is also referred to as rubber recycling and it is described as the process of recycling used motor vehicle tires that are no longer fit for use on the vehicles as a result of irreparable damage or wear and tear (Schackelford, p. 1555). Due to their nature, tires are taken to be among the largest type of waste that is most problematic to deal with (Price and Edgar, p. 363). Their problematic nature during recycling is also attributed to the fact that they are produced in large volumes because of the high number of motor vehicles on our roads and due to their durability (Oskamp, p. 160). It is because of these same problematic characteristics of tires that make them to be one of the most commonly reused waste items due to the resilience of rubber that makes it suitable for use in other products (Porter, p. 176). This paper will define the problem of tire recycling in society and propose the possible solutions and treatments to the said problem. The Problem of Recycling Used Tires Recent studies reveal that approximately one tire is disposed off by one person every year (Price and Edgar, p. 363). As seen in this paper, tires are essentially used in every motor vehicle, ranging from trucks, buses, tractors and cars among others. All these different types of motor vehicles make use of at least four tires, all with varying shapes, forms and sizes (Porter, p. 189). When tires are used for a significant period of time, they become naturally worn out due to the friction with the road and other damages such as punctures (Schackelford, p. 1555). This makes the said tires to be unsuitable for use on the motor vehicles and the need to replace them with new ones arises. The problem comes about with the large number of tires that are being disposed on a continuous basis (Carl, p. 98). According to statistics from population census results in different countries, more and more individuals, families and organizations are acquiring motor vehicles at the dawn of each day (Ackerman, p. 57). With each motor vehicle comes at least four tires that will keep the vehicle running for some time and eventually need disposal and replacement because of the wear and tear that they succumb to. Other statistics also reveal that the number of tires being disposed is reaching threatening levels, especially if not disposed well (Burn, p. 612). With the amount reaching as high as 300 million, an alternative solution has to be sought so as to save the environment from the possible dangers that arise from careless disposal of tires (Porter, p. 112). More often than not, especially in the past years, used tires have been disposed by piling them up in yards or unoccupied fields of land. This normally forms a landfill (Porter, p. 115). In the past years, discarded automobile tires used to be discarded in piles that were usually an eyesore to many people (Carl, p. 28). The same tires would also be a problem because of the fire hazard that they brought to the surrounding environment. This was before many people had taken environmental protection seriously and did not understand the need to dispose off tires properly (Price and Edgar, p. 364). The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States of America reveals that the number of scrap tires that are generated in the United States alone each year is slightly above 290 million (Price and Edgar, p. 363). The agency also reveals that in the past years, a huge number of these tires ended up in scrap yard or in landfills. Apart from becoming an eyesore, these landfills and scrap yards became very ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes which are known to cause malaria (Porter, p. 98). This is because of the impermeability and shape of tires that gives them the ability to hold considerably large amounts of water for a very long time, especially if undisturbed (Carl, p. 184). This water may accumulate from rain or other human and natural factors. These sites are very ideal for the development of mosquito larvae. These mosquitoes then cause malaria, which is a very problematic disease that kills a significantly large number of people every single day, especially if not handled well (Schackelford, p. 1553). The tire stockpiles have also been blamed for introducing non-native species of mosquitoes when used tires are transported to a different country. These new species are more difficult to control since they are foreign and they end up causing and spreading more disease (Oskamp, p. 165). In the tropic regions, the tires are known to promote the dengue disease and yellow fever. The same landfills or scrap yards were also fire hazards because rubber is known to be very flammable and fires caused by tires could take very many days and a lot of resources to put out (Price and Edgar, p. 364). For example, in 1983, a fire that consumed 7 million tires burnt for close to nine months (Oskamp, p. 162). This had very severe effects on the surrounding environment because of the heat generated and the smoke released to the atmosphere. The nearby water sources were also adversely polluted. Since tires are doughnut shaped, their casings allow drafts of air to stoke the fires and it becomes very difficult to eliminate the supply of oxygen because of the void space created by the tires when they are piled up together (Schackelford, p. 1554). Fires that involve the burning of tires also pollute the air in various ways such as releasing dense black smoke that soils surfaces that have been painted and impairs visibility. The toxic gases emitted from the burning of tires include carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid (HCl) and NO2. Once tires are ignited, they burn at very temperatures and for this reason, such fires are very difficult to extinguish (Schackelford, p. 1554). Waste tires have therefore been associated with numerous environmental hazards especially if they are not discarded off properly. As seen above, the most common environmental hazards brought about by waste tires include the harboring of mosquito breeding sites and the fire hazards and associated risks (Oskamp, p. 176). In 1990, more than 240 million scrap tires were disposed off in the United States and this led to the accumulation of over 3 billion tires in stockpiles throughout the country (Price and Edgar, p. 364). Each year, more than 188 million tires that out of the total number produced ended up in stockpiles or were illegally dumped. This was about 77 % of the total number of tires produced (Porter, p. 92). Tires are naturally known to be bulky products because of their shape and size. In fact, it is said that 75% of the space that is occupied by unused tires is void because they are simply circular and hollow in the middle (Oskamp, p. 166). They therefore end up using a lot of space unnecessarily, leading to landfilling. The greatest problems associated with landfilling of tires include the fact that whole tires use up a lot of space when they are piled up together. This space would have otherwise been used to carry out more meaningful activities such as agriculture or put up useful structures such as homes or commercial buildings instead of wasting away with a bunch of piled tires (Price and Edgar, p. 364). In any landfill, tires tend to float and rise to the surface thereby making that land unsuitable for any other use unless they are removed from there (Oskamp, p. 170). Apart from harboring mosquitoes, the void spaces left by piled tires provide potential grounds and sites for rodents such as rats to breed and live there (Burn, p. 620). Recycling of used tires is also problematic in the sense that even though these used tires can easily be shredded and used to make other products, they require very high processing costs to do so. This discourages many people from venturing into such undertakings because the high prices are sometimes prohibitive (Carl, p. 34). The Solutions to the Problems of Recycling Tires Many governments, for example the United States government, realized the dangers of not disposing off used tires in a proper way. In the 1980s in the state of Virginia for example, waste tires were classified as items that were hard to recycle (Oskamp, p. 172). However, the government recommended that these waste tires should no longer be dumped but recycled. The General Assembly in 1989 enacted a tire fee of 50 cents on every tire that was sold so as to generate funds that would be used to manage these tires once they were considered waste products (Burn, p. 619). The general purpose of this fund was to transform the waste tire management system which was struggling to become a long term and viable enterprise. Other ways of dealing with this problem include the opening up of facilities that collect waste tires for business. In many countries, businesses are now venturing into collecting used tires so as to process them into other products or use them for different purposes with the overall aim of making profit (Burn, p. 621). These companies re-use the base of tire to make other eco-friendly and innovative products for commercial purposes. Firms such as the Liberty Tire Recycling have delved into collecting waste tires and processing or refining them for other useful purposes. For example, scrap tires can be collected, processed and refined through the use of size-reduction techniques to reduce the number of microns. This then produces raw materials for adhesives, molded rubber goods and other products (Price and Edgar, p. 364). Consumers are also advised to contribute to the management of waste tires by lengthening the lifespan of their tires. They can undertake several steps aimed at lengthening the lifespan of their tires such as maintaining the right tire pressure so as to prevent them from bursting, having punctures or ending unevenly (Price and Edgar, p. 363). This would make them feel the need to discard these tires and acquire new ones. Drivers should also avoid excessive accelerating and braking as their tires become more vulnerable to wear under such conditions (Burn, p. 619). The tires should be rotated and balanced on a regular basis and their alignment should be proper so as to make them last longer and eliminate the need for replacement. Automobiles should also not be overloaded because the tires are put under a lot of pressure that can make them get punctures or wear easily. If only one or two tires are worn out, drivers are discouraged from replacing all four tires until all the tires need to be replaced. They should only replace the tires that really need replacement. The drivers can also use retreads which involve the retreading of old tires to make them safe for some time before replacing them. The drivers also need to check and ensure that their tires are in proper conditions before embarking on driving as this will help to correct any problems with the tires thus lengthen their lifespan (Oskamp, p. 173). There are other numerous options that involve re-using of waste tires instead of recycling them. The waste tires can simply be used to make other rubber products such as the famous sandals in African countries like Kenya, rubber bands, sandboxes, livestock feeders, swings, tree guards and mulch among other many innovative products. Tires can also be incinerated as fuel to produce energy (Oskamp, p. 174). Many firms that purchase used tires are known to grind them into a product called crumb that can be used to make other rubber products. The crumb rubber can be used for many other purposes such as adding it to asphalt when making roads so as to increase the strength and longevity of these roads. Many civil engineering applications such as septic system drain fields, embankments and sub-grade fills can make use of waste tires effectively without harming the environment (Price and Edgar, p. 363). Conclusion Waste tires have always been a great disposal and management problem to many countries. The recapping of tires was once a very good business but has ceased in many places. In the previous years, there were very few opportunities for recycling tires. Many people resorted to dumping the tires illegally because landfilling was an expensive venture since the tires had to be cut and torn apart before being disposed. Used tires that are not properly recycled have been associated with many problems, both health and environmental. Many countries are however taking action against improper disposal of used tires because they have realized the impacts that this has to them. Many workable solutions have been proposed to deal with the problem of recycling tires in a proper way. Works cited Ackerman, Frank. Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy. Michigan: Island Press, 2007. Print. Burn, Shawn. “Social Psychology and the Stimulation of Recycling Behaviors: The Block Leader Approach.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 21.8 (2006): 611-629. Print. Carl, Zimring. Cash for Your Trash: Scrap Recycling in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Print.  Oskamp, Stuart. “Resource Conservation and Recycling: Behavior and Policy.” Journal of Social Issues 51.4 (2005): 157-177. Print. Porter, Richard C. The Economics of Waste: Resources for the Future. Chicago: Free Press, 2002. Print. Price, Willard, and Edgar D. Smith. “Waste Tire Recycling: Environmental Benefits and Commercial Challenges.” International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 6.3-4 (2006), 363-364. Print. Schackelford, T. K. “Recycling, Evolution and the Structure of Human Personality.” Personality and Individual Differences 41 (2006): 1551-1556. Print. Read More