WONDERFUL USES FOR OLD TYRES!

It is estimated that around one billion tyres are produced every year. Until recently, it hasn’t been possible to recycle tyres, making them a major item of pollution worldwide. The oversupply of used tyres has created a surplus of ways to reuse and recycle them into useful things. We’re having a look at a few ways your old tyres can avoid landfill and become useful to you again!

Garden Beds

Used tyres make excellent garden beds. They are sturdy, abundant, waterproof, stackable and modular. There is no shortage of ways to arrange used tyres to make efficient use of garden space.

Tyres are a particularly good place to plant potatoes. Stack a series of tyres on top of each other and fill them with soil, compost and mulch. Scatter a few old sprouting potatoes throughout the mix and you’ll have a garden in no time. When you have the urge to cook up some potatoes, you can knock off a tyre and harvest from your own garden, knowing there are more in the next layer down that will sprout soon.

Tyres can also be cut into half or thirds and mounted vertically on a wall to form a vertical garden.

Tyre Swings

If you’re creating a tyre swing, use very strong rope and tie weight-bearing knots. Do load-bearing calculations, talk to an engineer you know or gain consensus from people you trust. You may also use rated steel cable or chains and locks. Make sure the anchor you are tying the swing to, whether a tree or a structural beam, can handle the force. If you aren’t sure, don’t risk it.

You can make a simple tyre swing where one person sits inside the donut of the tyre by tying a loop through the donut of the tyre connected to a knot on an anchor. A more comfortable tyre swing can be created by bolting loops around the tread of the tyre at equidistant locations. You’ll need three at a minimum and four at maximum. From each of these loops connect an equal length of rope, chain or cable so that you can pull them together to form a point above the plane of the tyre. Use a D shackle to connect them at this point. Connect this point to your anchor point above using cable or rope and swing away.

This idea will scale, so if you happen to find a giant tractor tyre, you can make a giant swing.

Earthships

Earthships are a modern form of sustainable housing that use a high proportion of waste as building materials. Earthships often incorporate a whole wall of old tyres packed with earth. If you know someone building one, they will almost definitely want your old tyres.

Need More Ideas?

Drury Tires have been in the tyre industry for more than thirty years. Call us today 09 294 8319 and we will be able to give you some ideas on how to deal with your old tyres. We can also help you dispose of them so if you have any questions, send us an enquiry online.