Scrap tires are tires that are old, worn out, damaged and are no longer suited for their original intended purpose.  You have probably seen them dumped along roads, vacant lots, in wooded areas, and perhaps in lakes and streams.  The accumulation of scrap tires can create unsightly conditions and lead to hazardous conditions within the environment.

Scrap Tire piles create conditions that can attract rodents, and disease carrying mosquitos, but the primary environmental concern presented by tire piles is that they are a potential fire hazard.  The scrap tire's flammable texture makes tire fires difficult to extinguish, and can burn for considerable periods, releasing heavy black smoke, oily residues, and gases which can cause significant environmental damage to the air, soil, and ground water.

- Approximately 290 million scrap tires were generated in the US in 2003

- This amounts to OVER 794,000 scrap tires per day!

- Approximately 300 million tires remain in stockpiles and landfills in the US

- Scrap tires amount to approximately 1.8% of the total municipal solid waste generated in the US annually (2001).

- Reducing a scrap tire to crumb rubber reduces the volume of the scrap tire by 75-90%