Could Recycled Tires Lead To Fixing The Damn Roads in Michigan?

Fixing Michigan roads has been a priority for Governor Gretchen Whitmer and now our roads may get a little more help by using recycled tires.

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Rubber Meets The Road

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to take old tires and turn them into materials that could help fix our Michigan roads? Heck yes, it would be a great accomplishment and at the same time a great way to get rid of old tires.

Have you ever tried to get rid of some old tires? Not that easy is it? When I bought my farmhouse there were lots of uncut fields on the property. Little did I know that they were filled with a variety of old tires, from farm equipment to every variety of tire for the last 80 years. Luckily for me, my brother-in-law knew a place that would take them to recycle, and who knows, maybe they have been used to patch a few Michigan roads.

Recycling Old Tires

There's nothing worse than an old pile of tires that seems like such a waste of material but technology has been changing in the recycling industry for years and finally, some smart people have found some ways to keep old tires out of landfills and repurpose them to benefit our communities.

According to WOOD-TV, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has been using recycled tires for years to repair Michigan roads, and recently the program has been expanded.

This is good news for Michiganders for two reasons, one being this will help keep down the eyesore of tires in the state, and secondly, from some of the past data that has been collected by this program, it looks like Michigan roads that have been fixed using the old tires are better than traditional pavement and hold up better during the winter and summer months. This is huge news.

How Long Has Michigan Been Using Recycled Tires?

For 17 years EGLE has been experimenting with using recycled tires to fix Michigan roads. It started in Saginaw County, has made its way to the Upper Peninsula, and most recently in Bay and Clare Counties. and has now breSo far technology has come a long way in recycling tires

What Can Recycled Tires Be Used For?

Aside from fixing Michigan roads, there are lots of great uses for recycled tires. You can use them to line landfills, use them as wastewater treatment filters, as crumb rubber for playgrounds, as a substitute for gravel, and some gardeners, are using them as mulch that will last forever. EGLE has been using them for years to weigh down construction barrels.