3 Unexpected Uses For Old Tires

Once a tire wears down unevenly to the point that it needs to be retired from your car, it seems like there's little that can be done with it that doesn't involve spinning. They don't appear to be useful for much else and are often too big to be stored anywhere convenient, so we tend to want to get rid of them right away. That's partly why approximately 280 million tires are thrown out each year, with only 30 million of them retreaded or reused.

The rest end up in giant, unsightly tire piles in landfills, where they take decades to decompose and can contaminate the air and grounds around them. No one wants that. So before you toss them on the curb or make the local tire landfill a little taller with your own contribution, consider a few additional options for both reusing and recycling those no longer spinning tires.

One solution that you may have noticed at your quirky neighbor's house is using an old tire as a planter. Their roomy and flexible nature makes them ideal for storing your average plant. One simply needs to fill them with soil or peat moss or the like and leave enough room for the plants to stretch out. Some even like to paint the tires the color of their choice, so they look more decorative and not like someone accidentally left tires in their yard so long that plants grew in them.

A potential issue that should be noted here is that tires aren't exactly natural, to say the least, and as they break down over time toxic substances may contaminate the soil. So if you go the planter route, it's best to play it safe and not use the tires for edible plants.

There are all sorts of easy little projects a tire that needs to be replaced can be used for, like a ready-made pet bed, the base of a table, and, of course, a classic outdoor swing. But as you push around the tires to accomplish some of these projects, it may dawn on you that they make perfectly reasonable exercise equipment as well. You may have seen them being used in gyms by people really into working out, and their somewhat heavy and flexible nature can easily become part of a home exercise routine, whether you're flipping them, lifting them, or jumping between them as part of an aerobic routine. Sooner than later you may find yourself wanting more tires for some elaborate routine, and offering to take them off your friends' hands.

There are all sorts of creative ways to reuse tires and other old car parts, but if you don't have time for tire-related arts and crafts, the simplest solution is to recycle them. Surplus tires can often be taken to either a local tire retailer or recycling facility, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It's best to check with either ahead of time for any size and weight limitations, and any related fees. Some municipalities even organize what's known as "tire amnesty days," in which locals can bring any number of tires to a drop site free of charge. It ensures the tires are cleanly disposed of and their components recycled or reused.

While it's tempting to just let an old tire roll down one's driveway to the curb, it can be surprisingly useful in and around the house, and they tend to look better holding plants or swinging from a tree than sitting atop a giant, smelly heap.