November-December 2011

Tires, like bad TV sitcoms, are abundant. When they wear down and are replaced, tires are scrapped. But what really happens when the old tires are left with the mechanic? And what constitutes a proper second life for this ubiquitous waste?

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), of the 280 million scrap tires generated each year in the U.S., Colorado contributes over four million of those tires - about one tire per person per year in our grand state.

The best thing drivers can do is make tires last as long as possible. Improper inflation not only wastes fuel, it wears down tires faster. Try putting a shiny penny in a line of tread. As long as Lincoln's head is touched by rubber, you're safe. Retreading, or putting a new layer of rubber on a used tire, extends the life of tires.

In the hierarchy of dealing with waste, reducing is king. Not using tires eliminates any need for this discussion. But how many of us can really adopt a bicycle-only or pedestrian lifestyle? With the number of vehicles on the road hitting one billion worldwide last year, the tire issue is only picking up speed. The next best option is to reuse and recycle.

Tires have been reused in different products for a number of years; however, keeping tires out of landfills can be difficult. Rubber, the main component of tires, is hard to recycle because of the initial manufacturing process that makes it springy and flexible. Due to this vulcanization method, tires cannot simply be melted and made into new products.

Products made from recycled tires are actually made from tires that have been shredded and ground to remove steel fibers. This material is used for landscaping mulch or playground fill. Further processed tires are shredded into "crumb rubber," and can be used instead of raw materials to make over 100 types of consumer products including asphalt, sports arena turf and fencing.

Although reincarnating tires into new products seems like a no-brainer, tires are still piling up in monofills (landfills that only accept one type of material). There are too many tires and not enough rubber products being manufactured and purchased.

Over half of scrap tires are burned in the U.S. to use as a fuel. Tires burn hotter and longer than coal, which makes tires a good fuel source for cement plants and factories. According to CDPHE, using tires as a fuel has prevented the use of over 63 tons of coal and diverted almost two million tires from monofills. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates burning tires is 25% more efficient than coal and produces less nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide pollution.

The Holcim Portland Plant in Florence is one local facility to use tires for fuel in the production of cement. The GCC Cement Plant southeast of Pueblo is going through the state and local permitting process to also burn tires in the near future.

Yet, calling tire-derived fuel (TDF) a reuse option is often questioned. Using tires as fuel is a finite end rather than a second life for the product and concerns have been raised over the practice. Although tires themselves are considered non-hazardous, incinerated tires break down into hazardous components including gases, heavy metals and oil.

Environmental groups have expressed concern that burning tires for energy is permitted too easily and not enough research is being done on the air quality effects of TDF.

Independent facility reports do not always adequately indicate specific air pollutants. Highly toxic chemicals, including dioxins and furans, are created during the burning of chlorine, a component of tires. Benzene, a cancer-causing agent, can also be produced when petrochemicals in tires are incinerated. Heavy metals such as zinc, lead, arsenic and chromium VI are ingredients of tires that may be release in the combustion process. Opponents of tire burning suggest that many facilities that burn tires do not have the proper equipment to filter these toxic elements out.

The EPA states, "potential emissions from tire-derived fuel are not expected to be very much different than from other conventional fossil fuels, as long as combustion occurs in a well-designed, well-operated and well-maintained combustion device." The concerns arise from how "well-designed, well operated and well-maintained" is defined and ensured.

One thing is definite: without reuse into products or incineration, tires sit in massive piles around the country. Along with smaller scrap tire dumps scattered about the state, Colorado has three behemoth tire mountains juxtaposed to our majestic peaks. Many of these storage sites hold tires until economical uses become available. At least 57 million scrap tires are stockpiled around our state with 40% of those tires in southern Colorado at the Midway Landfill in El Paso County.

In addition to taking up space, stockpiling tires creates other issues. Tires are perfect for collecting rainwater, which attracts disease-carrying mosquitoes and rodents. And scrap tires contain petroleum, which makes them vulnerable to catching on fire, producing extremely toxic fumes and smoke. Tire piles can burn for weeks or months and are difficult to extinguish. The tire dumps in Colorado are privately-owned storage sites and are required to comply with state and federal regulations, which require a vector control plan, access roads for fire fighting and vegetation control.

A recently-passed Colorado law requires all tires in state monofills to be eliminated by 2019. Getting rid of millions of tires in eight years is a huge task. Tires used as fuel will surely increase as the date to rid our state of these round rubber nuisances draws closer.

It is important for consumers to understand the environmental and economical issues surrounding the disposal of scrap tires. Buying recycled-tired products such as mulch, door mats, footwear, flooring, athletic fields, brake pads and roadways will create markets, but other creative alternatives are necessary to address the millions of tires currently in monofills and scrapped tires created every day.

Jenny Kedward is the Environmental Coordinator at the Pueblo City-County Health Department.

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