What happens when a tire is no longer usable? Where does it go? Join Into the Outdoors Adventure Team as we investigate sustainable solutions for scrap tires.

Every year over 300 million tires are discarded in the US. In the past, they were thrown into landfills or dumped illegally. That’s a lot of waste! But today there are many ways scrap tires can be reused or recycled. The ITO Adventure Team travels to Michigan, Colorado and Minnesota to learn how scrap tire disposal is being managed. We learn why illegal dumping is hazardous to human health and the environment.

In Minnesota, we learn about Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA). It’s durable, light-weight, permeable, and can be used in a variety of engineering and construction applications. It prevents frost heaving, solves sinking soil issues, and can even be used to help clean storm-water contaminants.

In Michigan and Colorado, we discover several other products made from scrap tires. Tires can be shredded into different sizes for use as landscaping, molded products, road coverings, and more. It can also be processed into Tire-Derived Fuel, which provides even higher BTUs than coal.

Sometimes environmental issues feel like mountains, but with creative ideas and working together, we can make a difference! If we can find sustainable solutions for a material like tires…what other environmental solutions can we come up with?!

Full Video

Classroom Videos

Sustainability, Engineering and Tires

Scrap Tires, A Waste Material No Longer

Classroom Assets

Tires 2 Lesson Plan

Scrap Tires, A Waste Material No Longer

Related Content

Turning Crude Oil into Fuels

Have you ever wondered where the fuels that power our vehicles comes from? Or, have you thought about how they turn syrupy black crude into the clear gasoline and fuels...

The Forest Products Lab

From mass timber buildings to bioenergy from wood waste, explore the innovative ways forest products are being used to combat climate change and support healthy...

Soybean Sustainability

Sometimes, we think that the food we eat just pops out of the ground or appears magically at our supermarkets, but the truth is much different. Jacob and Gianna, our...

Reconnecting Rivers & Invasive Species

Maybe it's only natural that us humans rarely think about how our actions today might impact others or the environment 100 years later. That was especially true back in...

Dam Removal and Restoration

This episode unravels some of the foundational chemistry that affects everything on planet earth. Today, thousands of communities across the country face the challenges...

Into National Marine Sanctuaries

The earth's oceans are home to thousands of species of marine life, from tiny plankton to enormous humpback whales. The Great Lakes' contain more than six thousand...

Positive Impact: Embracing Renewable Energy

In this episode of Into the Outdoors, Adventure Team members Zach, Aubrey, Chloe and Charlie explore the changing energy industry and how some organizations are leading...

How Healthy Markets Sustain Forests

How can forest product markets support healthy forests? Learn how sustainable management practices and strong markets for wood products help conserve forests, benefit...

A River Reborn

Rivers are like arteries, bringing life to the region surrounding them, washing away waste, purifying the environment with their biotic and abiotic processes.  Just...

Into Environmental Sustainability

In this Into the Outdoors episode, Adventure Team member, Zach, heads out into his community to learn more about sustainability and his role in creating a healthier...

Thank you, Partners!