Tires are viewed as a one of the most problematic sources of waste because they can be damaging to landfills due to their mostly hollow design, long-lasting and they often trap poisonous gases. All of these are facts of tire recycling:
· The EPA estimates that there are at least 275 million scrap tires in stockpiles in the US. Moreover, approximately 290 million scrap tires were generated in 2003. Only 35.3 percent of the millions of tires sold in 2009 were recycled.
· Scrap tires are managed primarily at the state level. Each state makes its own scrap tire laws and regulations.
· About 48 states have laws or regulations specifically dealing with the management of scrap tires.
· The states have played a major role in tackling this problem by regulating the hauling, processing, and storage of scrap tires; and by working with industry to recycle and beneficially use scrap tires, through developing markets for the collected scrap tires.
· Today markets now exist for about 80 percent of scrap tires (up from 17 percent in 1990).
· According to The EPA, In 2003, markets for scrap tires were consuming 233 million (80.4%) of the 290 million annually generated scrap tires:
- 130 million (44.7%) are used as fuel
- 56 million (19.4%) are recycled or used in civil engineering projects
- 18 million (7.8%) are converted into ground rubber and recycled into products
- 12 million (4.3%) are converted into ground rubber and used in rubber-modified asphalt
- 9 million (3.1%) are exported
- 6.5 million (2.0 %) are recycled into cut/stamped/punched products
- 3 million (1.7%) are used in agricultural and miscellaneous uses