Discarded Tire Stockpiles: A Hazard To Communities

Prior to the expansion of recycled tire markets, many scrap tires were diverted from landfills, leading to an alarming emergence of scrap tire stockpiles throughout the 1960s and 70s. While rubber recycling has come a long way in recent decades, there is still more work to be done on decreasing existing tire stockpiles. According to USTMA's 2019 Scrap Tire Management Report, around 56 million tires remain in stockpiles across the U.S. These stockpiles—often legacy stockpiles, the product of mismanagement, or sites for illegal dumping—are primarily located in states without active stockpile cleanup programs, and they can become a big problem for communities. 

Though tires themselves are not inherently harmful to the environment, tire stockpiles can swiftly become hazardous for communities. Due to the round, hollowed shape of tires, stockpiled scrap tires, particularly those stored outdoors, can collect rainwater and debris within their curves, leading to the accumulation of mold and grime. While this in itself would make the stockpile a sanitation hazard, the presence of still water and grime allows the stockpiles to serve as ideal breeding grounds for insects and rodents carrying harmful diseases, such as encephalitis, Dengue, West Nile, and the Zika Virus. 

In addition to the aforementioned health hazards, the improper disposal or storage of scrap tires is also a fire hazard. While tire fires themselves are difficult to ignite, they are not uncommon, and when they do occur, they are often difficult to control. Additionally, once a tire fire ignites, the rubber can burn for months before it goes through the available fuel, even in smaller stockpiles. This leads to expensive clean ups that can cost communities and governments millions of dollars. Even in regulated facilities, tire storage facilities and recycling plants must comply with meticulous regulations about the environment tires are kept in in order to mitigate this risk.

Knowing the hazards of tire stockpiles, it is imperative that we move away from treating end-of-life tires as waste products and toward a more circular lifecycle for tires. This is even more important as the number of end-of-life tires generated each year has risen by almost 7%, while the total number of recycled or reclaimed tires has more or less stagnated since 2017—primarily due to stagnation in recycled tire markets. Supporting and investing in innovative new uses for recycled tire material is the best way to help grow new and existing markets for scrap tires, allowing us to someday reach a 100% recycling rate for end-of-life tires.