With a little imagination, some waste products that were otherwise destined for disposal can be turned into something useful, even something beautiful. We took used motor vehicle tyres and turned them into planters that will display flowers outside a local school and library.
Old Tyres
Our skips are for general household, commercial and green waste. As tyres are officially classified as hazardous waste, we can’t accept them in our skips. Whole tyres have been banned from landfill sites since 2002. Once they become too worn for safe driving, an estimated 46 million tyres are removed from cars every year in the UK. A whole business has sprung up to deal with this hazardous waste product. These are some of the uses that old tyres can be put to:
- Remoulding. The life of a worn tyre can be extended by re-treading using rubber from used tyres.
- Sound proofing. Scrap rubber from tyres can be turned into an insulative material to be used in construction.
- Energy generation. A process called pyrolysis can turn old tyres into an energy source that burns cleaner than alternatives such as coal.
- Running tracks. Bouncy athletics tracks and playground surfaces can be created from a substance made of shredded rubber from used tyres.
Upcycled Tyres
We created our colourful planters by taking used car and motorbike tyres, attaching bases to them and spray painting them. We donated some to Sparhawk Infant School, Caister Junior School and Sprowston Library. They proved popular and people began to enquire if they could purchase them. So far we’ve sold over twenty!
WT Skip Hire offer a responsible waste disposal service. We recycle over 90% of the waste collected in our skips. For more information about our services, please call 01493 668118 or email info@wtskiphire.co.uk.
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