Old tires are a serious environmental hazard if left alone but they are surprisingly helpful in their shredded form as they contribute to a greener environment through tire recycling. Once you put your spent rubber tires that would have otherwise gone to waste into high-quality tire shredders they will be transformed and reused in a variety of constructive ways.
Recycled tire rubber can be used in a wide range of applications and products.
Here are 7 constructive uses of shredded tires:
1. Rubberized Asphalt (Used in Roadway Construction)
This is when asphalt concrete is mixed with crumb rubber from old tires. Rubberized asphalt is rubber modified asphalt which weighs less than 15% of the total weight of regular asphalt cement. Rubberized asphalt is resilient, flexible and eco-friendly and is designed to reduce skid resistance, lower maintenance costs and improve performance, making it safer than traditional asphalt. Rubberized asphalt gives better night time visibility as well as reducing traffic noise by more than 5 decibels. The flexibility of the rubber slows down the aging and oxidation of the asphalt and prevents it from cracking up. Rubberized asphalt can be used wherever traditional asphalt concrete is normally used.
2. Construction and Building Materials
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system awards points for eco-friendly construction features. Using recycled tire materials will help you promote and meet your eco-friendly building requirements. You can use recycled tire products in a lot of different categories according to the LEED points:
- Regional Materials – To build your products and materials that are extracted and manufactured within 500 miles.
- Recycled Content – You can use this to build materials that are made up of recycled content materials.
- Stormwater Design – Helps in creating waterproof surfaces that lower the runoff.
3. Helps with Drainage
Shredded tire chips help a lot with drainage. The rubber chips are helpful in flood prone landfill areas as they allow the water to drain naturally into the ground without allowing it to become contaminated by the junk on the landfill. The rubber chips have to be shredded into 4 to 6 inch pieces for this to be effective.
4. Landfills
Tire shreds obtained from tire shredding can be used for various different purposes on landfill sites. You can create a protective layer of shredded tire chips over the landfill liner. You can also use them in the drainage layer in the landfill’s liner as well as in the gas vents. Tire shreds are also used in the leachate collection system that prevents the poisoning of our water sources and home water supplies.
5. Eco-Friendly Alternative to Gravel
Shredded tire chips are a great alternative to gravel as they have similar properties. Old tires have to be shredded anyway and the shredded tire chips are much cheaper than gravel. The shredded tire ships have the same properties as regular gravel and also allow water to pass through it.
6. A Tougher Alternative to Traditional Gardening Mulch
Farmers and gardeners use mulch as a compost material to cover their plants and keep the soil insulated. The shredded tire chips can do the same job as regular mulch and are also a lot more durable than regular mulch. Shredded tire chips also provide the added benefits of protecting your plants from the cold in the winter as well as from the hot sun in the summer.
7. Better Playgrounds
The shredded tire chips are great for children’s playgrounds. The rubber mulch creates a safe padded surface for your children to play on. Shredded tire mulch is very tough and can withstand all weather conditions, as well as wear and tear. The rubber also gives your children a better grip to play on and reduces their chances of injury as well.
