To me, “tires” is the past tense of the verb meaning “feel or cause to feel in need of rest or sleep.” Here, I am talking about tyres. Anyway, when you’ve worn off the threads, they are a waste and a nuisance, by any name.
Piles of old rubber circles are a welcome home to rats. In a fire, they produce toxic smoke. Besides, there is only so much space in the world for rubbish.
Over the years, I’ve read of many ways they have been put to some use, like making artificial reefs in coastal waters. This has been found to be a bad idea.
People have used them to form miniature garden beds, but some of the chemicals leach out. I am not that keen to have such things in my potatoes.
But a relatively new use is logical, ingenious and effective. Grind them up, and mix them into road material. This makes the asphalt last longer, crack less, and it provides a better, safer surface to drive on.
