The article will discuss if you can reuse a spare tire or not. Other aspects that will be shed light on will include
- What are aspects you need to be mindful of when reusing a spare tire?
- What are disposal options for spare tires?
- When to know that a spare tire needs to be replaced?
- How to recycle spare tires?
- How to creatively reuse spare tires?
Can you reuse a spare tire?
The obvious answer to this simple question is yes, you can definitely use a spare tire more than once. Not only will it save your budget but it will also save the environment that you so desperately depend on.
However, the answer is not that simple. There are certain factors that will create problems or rather obstructions and therefore, it is essentially important to make sure that you factor in and address all the possible nuisances to make sure that there are no stark degradative effects rendered on you, your car, or the environment.
The reusing of spare tires can be done through two modes of action. One is reusing for the original purpose and the other for other creative purposes (swings, planters et cetera).
When it comes to reusing a spare tire for the original purpose (to be used in cars), there are certain questions that you need to scrutinise such as
- For how long can I reuse my spare tire?
- Will the spare tire damage my car in any way?
- How to make sure that the spare tire is in usable condition?
- What to do when the spare tire is of no use?
Therefore, let us try to answer all these questions step by step to develop and further our stance on the reusing of spare tires.
For how long can you use your spare tire?
This is an important question to begin with as you do not want to use a spare tire after its life has ended because it can affect you and your car drastically.
Therefore, we need to know how long we can reuse a spare tire. When it comes to that, there is no definite metric to abide by. The general range is that the spare tires must be used for fifty to seventy miles.
Therefore, you need to incessantly check and regularly assess your spare tire. If it has been used for more than 70 miles, it is best to get a new one.
Will the spare tire damage my car?
The answer to the question will vary in subjective cases. If your spare tire is in good condition, has not been used for more than 70 miles, and is properly inflated, then your spare tire will not damage your car.
However, if the spare tire is not in usable condition and you still decide to reuse it, then there are chances that the spare tire will damage the components of your car. Also, the probability of car accidents (burgeoning from tire bursts) will also spring.
How to make sure that the tire is in usable condition?
There are certain points that you can scrutinise in order to decide whether spare tires are in usable condition or not. These questions include
- Is my spare tire properly inflated?
- Is my spare tire used less than 70 miles?
- Is my spare tire kept in the right condition?
- Did I recently inspect my spare tire or had it checked by a professional?
If the answer to the majority of the questions is positive, then it means that you can actually use your spare tire for a longer duration of time.
However, this does not mean that you can be careless or reckless about it as constant vigilance is a good tactic to make sure that you, your environment or your car is not damaged by the use of a spare tire.
How to discard or dispose of spare tires?
The question becomes obvious what can be done if the spare tire is no longer in use? It has been established that spare tires have a limited lifespan of about 70 miles or so. Therefore, we need to know what can be done once the tire is completely used. When it comes to that, there are three main options to depend on.
- Discarding
- Recycling
- Reusing
Discarding
The first option that you can depend on is discarding spare tires. This is a simple one but not the best because it will affect the environment in a degradative way.
This is said because tires are made from non-biodegradable materials. When tires are discarded, they will most probably be incinerated or sent to landfills. Since tires are non-biodegradable, they will remain there for many years and this will create issues such as waste accumulation and pollution.
It is estimated that tires may consume more than 80 years for the degradation process which is a lot!
Therefore, we have other alternatives to our aid that include recycling and reusing. However, to discard your spare tires, you need to contact your local collection centre. The rule of thumb is that spare tires will be discarded with other non-biodegradable materials.
Some people wonder whether spare tires are hazardous. No, spare tires are not hazardous and therefore, spare tires need to be treated as non-biodegradable waste rather than hazardous waste.
Recycling
Recycling is the next best thing. Spare tires can also be recycled and this option will be much better as compared to simple discarding.
It is for the same reason that it is claimed that one of the best ways to deal with non-biodegradable waste is to actually recycle it.
Therefore, the question that now arises is how to recycle spare tires. There are several options when it comes to that.
- You need to check with the local waste collection or recycling centre. In most cases, you will either ask for a pick-up or you will be required to do a drop-off.
- If there is no recycling centre in your locality, you need to look for third-party recycling ventures such as TerraCycle. In many cases, these private and third-party recycling ventures will accept recycling your old tires.
- If the second option also wears out, you need to go for personal reuse options which will be explained in the following sections.
Reusing or Repurposing
Another effective way to get away with old spare tires is to actually reuse or repurpose the old tires. When it comes to that, there are several creative options such as
- Spare tires can be reused to create rubber mulch which can be used for a variety of options such as gyms or play areas. This option gives many plus points because when spare tires are used to make mulch, you do not need to depend on virgin materials and this leads to resource recovery.
- Old tires can also be used to increase the aesthetic sense of your garden or play area. All you need to have is a bit of creativity, play with colours and kaboom!
- Old tires can also be used as planters. You can cover one button of spare tires with a PE cover, add soil and fertiliser and that is it.
- Spare tires can also be used to make tires swing.
- If you think you are too old or lethargic to reuse spare tires, you can also outsource this environmentally noble act by calling professional services that can do this work for you as well.
Conclusion
It is concluded that it is possible to reuse a spare tire for both original and other purposes. The article explained various associated aspects as well.
The article also discussed various disposal options that are associated with the reusing of spare tires that included discarding, reusing, and recycling.
References
What to do with spare tires. Retrieved from: https://www.jdogjunkremoval.com/2022/06/what-do-spare-tires/
Baffour, Gideon. (July 9, 2022). How many times can I reuse a spare tire? Retrieved from: https://motorsnitch.com/how-many-times-can-i-reuse-my-spare-tire/