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Tires are among the largest and most problematic sources of waste.
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Rubber recycling is the
process of recycling vehicles tires (or tyres) that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damage (such as punctures). These tires are among the largest and most problematic sources of waste, due to the large volume produced and their durability. Those same characteristics which make waste tires such a problem also make them one of the most re-used waste materials, as the rubber is very resilient and can be reused in other products. Approximately one tire is discarded per person per year. Tires are also often recycled for use on basketball courts and new shoe products. However, material recovered from waste tires, known as "crumb," is generally only a cheap "filler" material and is rarely used in high volumes.
More than 300 million scrap tires are generated in the US and Canada each year. This is approximately equivalent to one passenger tire per population per year. For many years scrap tires have been accumulating in landfills, illegal stockpiles, vacant lots, fields, abandoned buildings and roadsides. These stockpiles can pose a serious threat to public health and safety, as well as to the environment.
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Globally, the auto industry and its consumers use about 1.3 billion tyres each year. Mechanics in the United States install 17.5 million of those tyres annually. 1 Billion discarded tyres end up in landfills or recycling centres each each.
Gizmag
