Today in our “Lighten Up” Challenge we are going to address an item that is truly heavy: tires. Tires end up in garages, basements, and sheds for a variety of reasons, and because of their size, they soak up a lot of space. These are worth getting rid of if you aren’t going to use them.
Removing tires from your space can be challenging because:
- They are heavy to lift.
- They are large to move.
- They don’t fit in a trashcan.
- They can’t be put into traditional single-stream recycling.
- In some states they are illegal to put into a landfill.
So, what should we do with old tires?
Crafty folks might choose to repurpose old tires. Here are a couple of images to get your creative juices flowing on what might be possible.
Make a dog bed.
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Make a sandbox.
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Make a hose caddy.
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If you have the right kind of tree, there is always the good old “tire swing” as well.
However, if repurposing doesn’t excite you, and all you want to do is get rid of them, there are a couple of choices.
First touch base with your local municipality or town. For those who live in Southwestern CT, I suggest you ask your local transfer station. The Darien facility does accept old tires. The Stamford Scale House will also accept tires, but you will need to pay $10/tire. The Norwalk Recycling Center charges $5/tire. Be aware that the rims must typically be removed prior to drop off.
If you have trouble finding a local resource, check out Earth911. At the bottom of the linked page is a Recycling Locator, where you can select your material (e.g., tires), and type in your zip code.
Rubber recyclers are able to use old tires for rubberized asphalt, playground mulch, road embankments, or even as material for new tires.
If you still can’t find a place to drop your tires, or if you aren’t able to lift them and get them to a recycling center, a junk hauler is probably your best option. Be prepared to pay a small extra fee per tire.
Going forward, know that tire retailers will typically recycle your old tires for you when you get new ones.
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Removing a couple of old tires from your garage will free up significant space. Do you have any hanging around?
I love these creative ideas for repurposing tires! That bright pink dog bed is something else.
A while back we ended up with a few extra tires. I don’t remember the exact circumstance, but somehow we had two good tires that no longer fit our cars. My husband thought he could sell them, so they sat in the garage (taking up a lot of space) for a long while. Eventually he got rid of them. I think it was during one of our tag sales.
You shared excellent resources for recycling tires. So if we ever end up with extra tires again, I’ll go that route.:) Thanks for the great advice!
I often find them in homes that people have purchased, left by previous owners. It used to be more common, I think, to switch out regular and snow tires.
I loved that dog bed too – people are so creative!!
Great resource here! I’m adding Earth911 to my list of resources. What a great site!
Earth 911 is a great resource to have in your back pocket, right Jana?
I love your options for repurposing old tires, Seana. I’ve never seen a tire used for a dog bed but I can picture Buddy curled up in one!
I love to see what creative people come up with. A tire dog bed – who knew?
I didn’t think the dog bed looked very comfortable until I remembered that my girl nearly always preferred to lie on the hard floor rather than a mat and had no problem resting her head on concrete blocks or other hard items. Maybe if it wasn’t so pink…
We have a dog who likes to hang his head out of his soft bed and put it on the floor! Isn’t that funny? I just enjoy seeing people’s creative ideas. Color is completely optional 🙂
Great ideas Seana. Keep the series going.
Thanks, Janet. I hope you and your team will keep chiming in with other ideas to make this series even more valuable to readers!
I love this post! I’ve seen many of these upcycling tire projects on Pinterest and the transformation is incredible.
Thank you for sharing some solutions. People forget that they do not have to keep these items. With a quick Google search, they will be able to find a place close to them.
And getting rid of old tires frees up A LOT of space, so it is worth the effort, right Sabrina?
Oooh, I have one more solution that was always popular in Buffalo. Because people have snow tires and tires for the rest of the year, some people have their off-season tires stored at the tire shop. (I’m not sure how that works? A rental? I moved away before I had a car with snow tires.) But my parents always had an off-season set of tires against the front wall of the garage to ensure that when someone was driving in, there was a bumper/buffer before hitting the wall. It was great when I was learning to drive, as I could get far enough in not to worry about the rear of the car getting hit by the garage door, but never had to worry about hitting the front wall.
I’m loving your series!
That is a terrific idea, Julie! Tires would make the perfect bumper, especially for those who have children learning to drive who might misjudge the distance.
I have a dent in the door of my garage refrigerator from a young driver. Amazingly (because this is one of those old, never die appliances), it still works!
What great ideas for repurposing tires. I have my new tires put on at a gas station or other tire place and they recycle the old tires for me. Of course if you are on the road that isn’t and option. Thanks for the tips.
Dianne
That is the best approach. Sometimes people have them from a previous homeowner or have to clear them out of a relative’s house.
Hey there! This article is really brilliant!
I had no idea old tires could be repurposed in so so many creative ways. Maybe it’s because I’m a little bit of a “straightforward” person, I don’t know, lol. However, it’s amazing how something as simple as a tire can be given a new life!
Do you have any other innovative ideas for repurposing old tires? Those ideas and DIY projects to reduce waste and get creative with recycling are always good to know.