Solution to getting rid of old, used tyres

One of the main challenges with used car tyres is that they are difficult to get rid off once they are used up. Some other solutions like using them as landfills are not practical since they tend to settle. Also because of their shape they take up too much space. Even when they are stored they tend to attract vermin like rats. Additionally, they give off combustible gasses when they are left piled up which makes them a fire hazard. In most instances, burning them is the only solution but they release so much smoke that they pose a pollution risk. 

The solution proposed here is to ship a portion of the tyres to select Third World countries where they can be repurposed into other products where they can have new purpose. This has solves the challenge of excess tyres in developed countries.

Despite the fact both car tyres and plastics are polymers, they present very different challenges when it comes to disposing them after their expected lifespan. Unlike ordinary plastics, tyres are larger, take up space in landfills because of their large volumes and up to 81% void space and some components used in the manufacturing process like steel wire make them non-biodegradable. Other challenges presented by tyres include the fact that they easily cause fires because they trap methane gas, attract vermin when stockpiled and pollute the air when burnt. This significantly increases the challenge of recycling or getting rid of them. While there has been recycling success with tyres made from newer technologies like devulcanization and pyrolysis, environment friendly recycling options are still a challenge. This makes repurposing used tyres a much better option. 

This application makes the argument that when it comes to repurposing tyres, there are two distinct uses amongst poor communities and well off communities. Drawing from experiences in Zimbabwe, amongst the well off, car tyres are used for entertainment and aesthetics, like barriers at car racing tracks and child swings at homes and in schools. On the other hand, poor communities, have multiple purposes for car tyres so much that the tyre is never thrown away as after each purpose, they always find a new purpose and its functionality keeps changing as it adopts new and changing roles. Because rural communities have multiple uses for old car tyres, with some of the uses breaking down the tyres to their last molecule, there is need to look at some of the rural uses of tyres and assess the adoption of these methods and practices for mainstream use.

The solution works by making it possible for select NGOs to gather used tyres and ship them to Third World countries in the same way that NGOs collect old clothes and old computer hardware so that they are redistributed to the needy.

In the case of the tyres they have multiple purposes in the developing world where they can work as fuel, as tyres for carts, as animal water trough and other multiple purposes. In some cases the tyres are also used as soles of shoes and other items of clothing like hats.

The solution is not to recycle the tyres using fancy technologies but simply to redistribute the used tyres from areas where are in excess and pose a problem to areas where they are needed.

Five

To ensure that there are new ideas on how best to use used tyres

There might be some government regulation on the importation of old tyres as they will be risks that even though they are old they will be still be used on cars making them unroadworthy and contributing to accidents.

Registering an organisation in the areas where the area is operating and engaging the border authorities to let them know the tyres are for repurposing and showing that some of the tyres are so damaged that they cannot be used on vehicles.

I believe my solution has the potential to solve a global problem and also improve the lives of rural communities in developing world countries in the process.