Used Tires Have A New Life Ahead If You Recycle Them

HOME CLINIC: Can you tell me where I can recycle my car tires? M.H., Seattle

DEAR M.H.: Seattle's two recycling and disposal stations - also known as the Transfer Stations - accept both passenger and truck tires (less than 3 1/2 feet in diameter). There is a limit of four tires per trip.

It's not necessary to remove the rims. But there is a fee for disposing of tires - $7 for cars or trucks dumping four tires; trucks dumping tires and garbage are charged $83 a ton with a $13.50 minimum; trucks dumping tires and yard waste are charged $64 a ton with a $10 minimum.

Tires are no longer accepted as garbage and must be separated from mixed loads. Why? First, they don't stay buried. Tires will migrate up through the landfill and pop out on the surface. They are like a balloon, squeeze them in one place and they will flow out at some other point. Second, tires can be a fire hazard. Once tires catch fire, they are hard to bring under control. Third, tires can be a major breeding area for pest insects. Again, hard to bring under control.

Finally, and most importantly, used tires represent a valuable resource. These tires can be used in the manufacture of many new products such as rubber flooring or mats.

Floor tile usually includes some rubber for resiliency. Crumb rubber (ground-up rubber) made from used tires can be used in products such as road asphalt, vibration and sound damping products, traction surfaces, mulch mats, soaker hoses and a new leisure shoe made entirely of recycled materials including old tires. Beginning in 1994, crumb rubber must be added to all federally funded road projects using asphalt.

Used tires also can be used to fuel commercial boilers, which is what happens to tires collected at the Seattle recycling and disposal stations.

We discard one tire for every Seattle resident each year. That's more than 450,000! Tire life can be extended by careful selection of new tires and proper care. Buy long-life tires - radials generally wear longer and offer more fuel economy.

Keep tires inflated to manufacture recommendations. Check tire pressure once a month, preferably when tires are cool. Buy and use your own tire gauge to assure accuracy.

Wheel alignment also affects tire wear and fuel economy. Poor alignment scrubs rubber off the tires. Check alignment once a year and immediately after a severe shock to the car's front end.

For other free advice and services to keep your car fit, participate in October's National Car Care Month. Free activities range from tire pressure demonstrations to emission testing and how to find quality auto repair. For a schedule of activities, call the Energy Hotline at 296-5640 in Seattle or toll-free at (800) 962-9731.

For more information about tire recycling, call the Seattle Solid Waste Utility at 684-7600 during normal business hours. King County residents can call the Recycling and Composting Information Line at 296-4466.

Seattle recycling and disposal stations

North Recycling & Disposal Station (North 34th Street and Carr Place North).

Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Saturday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

South Recycling & Disposal Station (Second Avenue South and South Kenyon Street).

Monday-Sunday, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Written by John Watson of the Energy Extension Service, a division of the Washington State Energy Office. TDD Users: to receive this information in other formats, call us toll-free at 1-800-962-9731.

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