In 1990 it was estimated that there were between 2 and 3 billion tires sitting in what many called “tire mountains” in nearly every state, and sadly only 11% of these tires were recycled and given a second life. Today, these mountains are now nearly 90% abated thanks to recycling efforts across the country. From mulches to roadways, landscape edging to purses, tire recycling is at an all-time high.
Here are some statistics to think about showing just how far we have come:
– The world’s largest tire dump, Tire Mountain in Weld County, Colorado reportedly had more than 80,000,000 tires on the property before the clean-up began.
– By 2011, we were down to only having 76 million tires stockpiled in the U.S.
– We cannot call this recycling movement a complete success yet, as we create an additional 300 million scrap tires each year.
– The largest use for these tires is as tire-derived fuel which accounts for about 40%.
– The second largest industry are companies that grind up the tires to create mulches, playground surfaces and molded products such as floor mats, landscaping and playground products.
We are proud to be a part of this recycling effort as we recently passed a milestone having recycled more than 400 million pounds of tires. To put this amount of tires in perspective, if stacked end-to-end these recycled tires would stretch nearly 18,500 miles or three-quarters around the globe. If stacked in a pile they could fill up Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Busch Stadium, Wrigley Field and half of Dodger Stadium to the roof!
Today we say thank you for helping us achieve this milestone and we hope you continue to help us clean up our environment by using products made from 100% recycled rubber.
