When most people think about recycling, they think about household items like newspapers, soda cans, and plastic bottles. They’re the things that are easy for most of us to see because they tend to be the main focus of consumer recycling efforts.

But while these basics are a crucial part of overall recycling efforts, there are literally tons of recyclables going unnoticed by consumers and recycling ventures alike. When you’re running a recycling business, it pays to think outside the cardboard box. And tires are one of the most worthwhile discarded goods out there.

So why should you be in the business of recycling tires? Here are five good reasons:

1. Plenty of Source Material

Tires are everywhere. So much of our modern infrastructure has been built for vehicles with wheels—and they all need tires. According to estimates, over 2.5 million tires are thrown away each year, and only a small percentage are recycled.

That’s a lot of material that could be recycled, and a whole lot of ways to help you expand your business.

2. Creates Useful Products

Products created from the rubber of recycled tires include playground surfaces that reduce children’s injuries, tracks and sports fields that help keep athletes safer, rubberized asphalt that increases the longevity and durability of roads, and even rubber mulch that can be used in place of wood for gardens.

3. Produces Valuable Byproducts

Rubber isn’t the only thing that comes from a recycled tire. The steel that keeps tires going strong on the road also makes them a valuable recycling commodity. Up to 20% of a tire is actually steel, and like other metals, it can be used and recycled almost indefinitely.

Recycling tires also gives you nylon and fiber, which are components in a wide range of building, cleaning, and household materials including fiberglass, stucco, and carpet.

4. Eases The Load On Landfills

The amount of space that tossed-out tires take up in landfills is staggering. Their shape also means additional wasted space, so they take up more than their own size. They can also harbor vermin, create pools of water that are prime breeding ground for mosquitos, and pose the risk of toxic, long-burning fires.

And because tires are not biodegradable, once they’re in a landfill, they’re there forever. Reducing tire waste can have a huge impact on our planet.

5. Cuts Down Waste

And finally, there’s that key reason behind all recycling: it means less waste. Extremely useful materials are kept in the loop of production and consumption instead of being tossed out to languish in a dump where at best it takes up space, and at worst it does real environmental harm and poses health risks to the environment and to people.

So take a good long look at adding tires to your recycling business operations. And be sure to check out EcoGreen’s innovative, state-of-the-art line of tire recycling equipment. Our technology will make sure you get the most out of every scrap.