Furniture Made from Recycled Tires: Benefits, Types & Process

The most compelling reason for using tires to make furniture is to benefit the environment by recycling waste which will not degrade in the environment. Rubber tires have a high recovery rate due perhaps to the ease of recycling them when you get new tires for your car. The rate of recycling tires is about the same as the overall rate of recycling all municipal solid waste which was 33 percent in 2007.

Local regulation may also play a role in boosting the amount of tires recycled. Most states ban tires from landfills due to in part to their fire risk.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 35 percent of tires manufactured were recycled in 2007. Furniture makers have a good source of raw materials due to this high recycling rate. While furniture is not a major market for recycled tires, the EPA estimates that 6.5 million tons were used to cut, stamp, or punch tires into new recycled products including furniture. Fuel is its main use, taking advantage of its flammable qualities.

The same qualities which make tires undesirable in your household trash can improve their use when recycled as furniture. The pieces are resilient and can withstand environmental forces, making them a good choice for furniture which will receive heavy use or for deck furniture. You will have furniture which can withstand the rigors of being outdoors in all kinds of weather and can be easily cleaned.

Companies such as Kitsch-U-Like sell interesting contemporary furniture which adds a contemporary flair to your home decorating. The furniture will include refurnished parts of recycled tires which embrace the unique textures of the tread.

Tires may be cut, stamped, or punched to create new products after cleaning the recycled materials to remove debris and steel. These methods reduce the cost of using recycled materials because of the complexity involved in breaking down tires for use into new products. The process of creating tires for durability also makes their recycling more problematic when it comes to breaking tires down chemically.

These methods make the tires suitable for other uses, while maintaining the retro feel of furniture created using recycled tires. Certainly, using furniture from recycled products will make a great statement about your own commitment to green living.

Furniture made of recycled tires is a good way to demonstrate your values and help the planet by finding new uses for products which may otherwise contaminate the environment. If anything, you can also show your good taste for retro-designed furniture which makes a statement.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Municipal Solid Waste in the United States – epa.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes and Materials - Scrap Tires – epa.gov