The Life Cycle of a Tire: From Rubber to Mulch
At Western Tire Recyclers we dedicate our lives to recycling tires in Utah. We understand the importance of recycling and taking care of our planet, which is why we have made tire recycling such a big part of our lives. The only thing we care more about than recycling tires, is our beloved customers and blog readers. So in this blog post we wanted to take the time and educate all of our readers about the life cycle of a tire.
Development
Obviously, since tires are a man made product, the life cycle of a tire starts with development. This is when the tire goes through vulcanization. In this process rubber is mixed with sulfur and molded into shape. Once the tire is in the correct shape it is heated until it takes its final form. Lastly, an inspector takes a close look at each tire to ensure there are no flaws or dangerous materials on the tire.
Manufacturing and Delivering
Now that the tire is made, it needs proper labeling and packaging for shipment. Tires should have labeling with correct dimensions, brand and type of tire. Once everything looks good on the packaging, the tire is shipped to the store where it will be sold to customers.
Life On the Car
At this point in the life cycle, customers have installed the tires on their car and use them every time they take a drive. Depending on the tire, this part of the life cycle should last anywhere from 3-6 years on average. Proper maintenance of the tire should include: rotating, balancing, and alignment to ensure that the tire gets even wear. Once the tire is old or damaged it gets discarded.
Recycling
This is where we as a company fit into the life cycle. In an ideal situation you will bring your old tires to us to be recycled. We create a variety of different things with recycled tires, our most popular products are our dependable water tanks found around Utah. If you don’t recycle your old tires they will most likely wind up in a landfill somewhere polluting the planet.
To learn more about how to recycle your old tires feel free to give us a call!
