What should never be done with old tyres?

Any owner of car comes across a situation in which tyres are not suitable for usage anymore. In such a situation, a person might have come with a couple of ideas for the further fortune of this crucial element of a vehicle. Unfortunately, not all of them are good and it is important to know what things should never be done to old tyres.

Throwing old tyres away

To many people this can be the most obvious solution. One can easily throw old tyres somewhere where no one can notice them. More cautious people can even bury old tyres.

Even though in many countries tyres are classified as relatively safe garbage which is usually put under the same category as bags made of polyethylene, there is nothing good in leaving old tyres in any place which has not been designed specifically for this purpose. The reason for it is a rather toxic mixture of chemicals which is used for the production of the tyre rubber. Some of these substances are sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, phenols, styrene and toluene. These substances will be realised into the ground and air polluting them. Of course, they can also get into water.

The process of degradation of old tyres in the natural environment will take at least one hundred years. Unfortunately, even though in many countries throwing tyres away is regarded to be a criminal offence, usually it does not have any serious consequences for people who are doing such things. At the same time, the consequences for the nature are rather serious.

Burning old tyres

Burning old tyres is another popular way of disposal and it is also rather dangerous. In this case, the environment will get a large amount of toxins in a short time. Some of the most toxic of them are pyrene, fluoranthene, anthracene and biphenyl. In addition to it, tyres will be burning for a rather long time so they will be constantly realising the toxic substances into the atmosphere.

Throwing tyres with other garbage

Some people throw their old tyres to the garbage containers or wild landfills. None of this should be done. First of all, they can attract various pests including mice and insects spreading diseases. The latter ones are particularly attracted by tyres when they are filled with water.

Another reason why tyres should not be thrown away with other garbage is because they can start burning on their own while being exposed to the sun. As you now know, they will be burning for quite long time adding toxic substances to the environment.

Using tyres for various household purposes

Some people love using old tyres as a creative material for absolutely different things, starting from sculptures to outdoor furniture. Such a way of using old tyres does not seem harmful and might even appear as an ecologically-friendly zero waste approach. Unfortunately, constant exposure to the sun will promote the degradation of the rubber of tyres. You have already learnt that this will pollute the environment, however, this time, you will be in a close proximity to the source of pollution.