If you have a vehicle that is nearing the end of its days, you may realise that it will not be worth anything in part exchange for a new one. In any case, you want to take full advantage of incentives at the local dealership, and don't want to place your "old banger" into this mix. Nevertheless, you will want to get as much value as possible from the vehicle as you dispose of it carefully, and will not want to become a burden to the environment, either. Thankfully, many of the individual components are recyclable through an auto parts recycler, so where should you start?
Don't Dump
Rubber is one of the least environmentally friendly materials known to man, and for generations, discarded tyres would cause a major problem at landfill sites around the country. These days, however, many jurisdictions have outlawed this practice, and they simply won't accept old tyres. It's not surprising when you consider what is included within each cover and how it is made up of a combination of textiles, steel and rubber.
Where to Start
Begin by removing all five tyres from their associated wheels and talking to a recycling agent who can repurpose them effectively. Once they enter the process, they will typically be granulated so that the individual component materials can be separated, and a number of different contaminants can be removed. These tyres will have picked up a lot of oil and other road debris from thousands of kilometres, and this will need to be removed before the remnants can be reused.
Repurposing
Next, the tyres will be shredded into tiny pieces and this product can be repurposed in many different ways. For example, it can provide a soft surface in and around a playground, so your kids do not come home with an injury when they fall off a swing. It can be used as an underlay to provide support to your living room carpet, or it can find its way into a sports arena to create a running track for training athletes.
Dealing with Noise
Did you know that your used tyres could help to reduce noise pollution in some situations? If this rubber crumb is used as an ingredient in the production of asphalt and laid onto a busy road surface, it can help to thicken the core material. This will help the surface absorb and disburse sound waves created by trucks, cars and buses.
Get Things Rolling
As you can see, your used tyres can help to provide a better life for others, so you should begin your recycling efforts here first.
