Recycling tires is something that everyone should do. There are many bad impacts that can come from not recycling tires, including disease, pollution, more.

But before we go in depth into recycling tires, let us first talk about what you can do to lengthen the life of your tires - therefore saving money for yourself as well as helping to save the environment.

Keep a proper tire pressure. Having improperly inflated tires is a huge cause of tire damage. It can cause irregular wear as well as decreased gas mileage.
Avoid braking and accelerating excessively.
Keep on schedule with your tire rotation and checking wheel balance and alignment.
Inspect your tires at least once a month. Check for uneven wearing, cracks, splits in the tread, or other signs of damage.
Overloading your vehicle can cause more wear on your tires, as well. Avoid driving on rough roads and over potholes or curbs.
Replace your tires once the tread is down to 1/16th of an inch. Do not let a salesman convince you to get rid of them sooner unless there is an added, important reason!
Just because you have one or two bad tires, it does not mean that you need an entirely new set of four tires.
Use retreads. They are just as safe as new tires.

Now that you know at little bit more about putting off having to recycle your tires for just a little longer, let us talk about recycling tires.

Interestingly enough, recycling the rubber from scrap tires was very common until the 1960s, and then it started to die off. Because it became easier to make synthetic rubber, people found it less important to recycle their tires. Also, recycling tires became more difficult when steel belted tires became popular.

Fortunately, the recycling of tires has increased a lot within the last decade. People started to see the problems associated with scrap tires.

What are the problems that arise when tires are not recycled?

For one thing, discarded tires are an eyesore. But even properly disposed of scrap tires can create problems. A tire dump is a known breeding ground for mosquitoes. There is a higher incidence of mosquito-borne diseases near tire dumps.

Also, tire pile fires are a huge environmental problem. Such a fire can go on burning for months, and while it is burning, it sends up a huge plume of black smoke, full of toxic chemicals and pollutants. The oily runoff, full of toxic chemicals, caused by tire fires can make its way into surrounding water supplies, as well.

Recycling tires is a very important step toward lessening the bad impact that they can have on the environment (but remember: reducing unnecessary use of tires is the best way to help out the environment!)

What can recycled tires be used for?

Well, since recycled tire rubber can be cheaper than making new rubber for some products, it is used for many things. People used recycled tires for asphalt and mulch groundcover and other things as well.

When crumb rubber is mixed with asphalt, the asphalt is less likely to crack. And you have probably seen recycled rubber padding the ground beneath children's playgrounds, as well - recycling tires can create safer environments, too!

Remember, if you need to dispose of some tires, be sure to recycle them. Talk to your local auto shop or tire shop if you need help or suggestions.