By Nicole LaMarco Updated February 04, 2019
There are around 300 million vehicles on the road in the U.S. This means a tremendous amount of tires are replaced every year, and everyone from mechanic shops to dealerships to people at their homes need to get rid of them. That’s why there are so many ways to make money recycling used tires. Here are a few ideas and the steps to turn wheels into cash.
Most businesses don’t want to wait until they have enough tires to warrant a trip to the recycling center or retreading business. That’s where you come in. Let local garages, tow truck companies, dealerships, car detailers, and anywhere else that deals with a lot of vehicles and maintenance know that you can pick up their tires for a price.
The average is around $3 per tire, but that may vary for your area. This means you need to own a pickup truck, and you need to be available often, but it can be a tidy and immediate influx of cash.
Retreading tires is a business in which old tires are revamped to be functional again. If you have a storage facility big enough, you can store the used tires you pick up until you have enough for that type of business to warrant a pickup. It varies, but most services won’t pick up until you have 100 or so tires ready to go. This means you get paid twice for the same tires – once by the people you picked them up from and once by the retreading company.
Do a web search for “tire retreading” in your area to find companies that do this kind of work and find out how much they pay per tire and if there are any restrictions on the kind of tires they accept or the amount per visit. By doing your homework, you can see which company pays the best and make your decision from there. Don’t forget to factor in your costs of transporting the tires. If a place close to you pays less per tire, it may be worth it to save on gas and wear-and-tear on your truck.
Some tires cannot be repurposed, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be useful. There is always the trusty old tire swing that you can make by drilling a few holes and using a bit of rope, but there are loads of other uses, as well. You can make everything from chairs to garden ponds to planters to hose storage from old tires. The sturdy rubber material makes them hearty and ideal for the outdoors.
Making money from recycling used tires takes some hustle and know-how, but if you have a pickup truck and the time to make connections, it can be a profitable business. Many places are looking for someone just like you to help them out and keep things rolling along.
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Writer Bio
Nicky is a business writer with nearly two decades of hands-on and publishing experience. She's been published in several business publications, including The Employment Times, Web Hosting Sun and WOW! Women on Writing. She also studied business in college.
Not only is the idea of recycling used tires brilliant for the fact that it is extremely environmental friendly, but it can also help you earn extra cash.
We create a massive number of used tires each year. Just in the state of Illinois, “citizens produce more than 14 million used tires annually. That’s more than one used tire per person every year!” That’s according to the IEPA (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.)
Thankfully, we have gotten very good at recycling old tires, so most of these old tires are being recycled in some shape or form.
And the way you can do this is by partnering with local auto shops and taking their tires to recycling facilities where you will be paid for each tire.
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Couldn’t auto shops just do this on their own?
Well, when it comes to disposing of old tires through recycling facilities, an average auto shop has only two possibilities:
They can transport the tires themselvesIf the auto shop didn’t charge you the fee, it would be at a loss, as the fee is used to cover the expenses of transporting the tires to the closest recycling facility. It covers time, gas, and the possible fee charged by the facility. The fact that the auto shop is here left with neither loss nor gain is one of the reasons they don’t like to do this themselves.
Most of the recycling facilities are more than happy to drop by your auto shop and pick up the tires for you. But scheduling a pickup usually involves a special requirement: A minimum of 100 tires. Which would mean that the auto shop should have a storage place.
That would be a really simple solution if it weren’t for the scrap tire storage laws and regulations many states have. That’s why most auto shops try to dispose of the tires as soon as they can.
This is where you can come in handy.
Your advantage is the lack of free space in auto shops.
Now, to make money, you have two options, each with different requirements.
If you already have a pickup truck you’re halfway there.
Your job will be to simply pick up the used tires from local auto shops (which you will charge a per-tire fee for) and take them down to the local recycling facilities.
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Start by letting local mechanics know that you’re in the business, hand out business cards and become known for your good and quick service.
Now, the above options require you to have a truck or some form of transportation that lets you haul more than a few tires.
Just because you don’t have a vehicle large enough doesn’t mean that you should be out of business.
Do you have an empty garage or any kind of empty space that could be good for storage?
Let me explain…
You see, most tire retreading centers will come and pick up your used tires if you have at least a 100 tires.
This is why most auto shops can’t simply call them up and schedule a pickup -they lack the space necessary to store 100 tires.
This is where your big empty garage comes in handy.
Use your car to pick up as many tires as you can and store them until you reach the required minimum of 100. Then call the nearest recycling facility to schedule the pickup.
Auto shops usually pay $3 for every tire you take away, and recycling facilities are known for charging a flat fee of $1 per tire.
So you are left with $2 per tire. Take into account your gas expenses and wear and tear on your truck, and you are looking at about $1.70 or so (give or take a little) per truck.
This can be a nice little side business for you.
Or if you really want to take it to the next level, you could turn your small tire recycling business into a full time six-figure making business, like this guy who makes $100 a day recycling scrap tires. He picks up old tires from gas stations and car dealers and sells them to the local retreading and recycling centers.
So you can make this a steady income if there are enough auto shops in your surrounding.
If you want to take this seriously, you want to make sure you do everything the right way, starting with registering your business.
If you want to be recognized as a professional and further develop your business, I strongly recommend that you register your business. Go and make it official!
Registering can cost you around $50 in most states. Visit your city hall to find out more about the procedure.
This might seem like a big and unnecessary step at this point, but it will actually help your reputation. Making your business official will show that you can actually be considered reliable and responsible in the eyes of your customers.
The best way to find tire recycling centers near you that pay cash for tires is via RecycleNation.com (former 1800Recycling.com).
This is like a directory of all recycling facilities in the US, letting you locate nearest facilities by simply entering your zip code.
EPA.gov – which will give you all the relevant technical details you need to start a recycling business in the US.
Ok, not everybody wants to deal with storing and hauling 100s of tires. But you still want to make some money from the few old tries laying around your garage.
Well, the good news is that you have, yet, another option–making things out of used tires and selling them.
Here is an example.
Ask the seller at the local store for a recommendation, as this is a very important part of your project. If you are the one who does the hanging, measure the length you’ll need and add an extra two feet (you’ll be needing them for knots).You can see a much better step by step instruction with pictures on Instructables.com
And tire swing is not the only thing you can make. There are many other things you can make. Juts take a look at Pinterest for more tire craft ideas.
Or better yet, since you want to make things to sell, check out Etsy to see what kind of items other sellers are making out of their old and unwanted tires, and which ones sell more, so you can focus your time and efforts on making things that actually sell.
Where to sell your DIY tire creations
You can sell your art works on sites like Etsy and even eBay.
Amazon has also just launched their Handmade at Amazon service where only handmade stuff are sold.
However, if you think that you are better at leaving an impression in person, try out your luck at a local flea market or craft fair.
Whether you recycling old tires by taking them down to the local facilities or making artwork out of them, you are contributing to the health of our planet, as well as your wallet.
If you know of any other way of making money recycling old and used tires for cash, let us know with a comment below.
Konstantin Ishchenko
experienced car enthusiast
The motorist's budget is hit the hardest when you have to buy both summer and winter sets of tires within one year.
For example, the popular Nissan Qashqai is equipped with 225/45 R19 tires in the maximum configuration, a set of the middle price category will cost about 50,000 RUR.
But there is an option to save money and buy used tires. This article will tell you how to safely buy used tires and when you shouldn't.
Or the season has changed. We wrote in detail about how to assess the condition of tires and understand when they need to be changed in a separate instruction. Before you start looking for tires, it is important to be able to read their parameters. The most important in this situation are the size, manufacturer and model of the tire.
If the task is to buy a set of four tires, then it is important to respect the size.
If you damaged one tire, you will have to look for exactly the same one: two wheels of the same axle must have tires with the same tread pattern, and this is possible only in the case of tires of the same model.
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How to save money on buying car tires and wheels?
Tire parameters important to look for: width, profile height and rim diameter Tire manufacturer and modelAccording to Avtostat, an average car in Russia drives 17,500 km per year. Let's take the average wear resistance of tires according to the Treadwear index - 320 and calculate how long a new set of summer tires could theoretically last.
Every 100 index units is 12,500 km, which means tires are rated for 40,000 km. Assuming that the summer kit is used for 6 months out of 12, the mileage for six months is 8750 km, and the kit is enough for 4.5 seasons.
If the annual mileage is 30,000 km, then the summer kit should wear out in 2.
7 seasons. But I have not met people who change tires in the middle of the season: either they change them in the spring, or they drive them until autumn.
Judging by Yandex Market, the average popular tire 205/55 R16 costs 5500 R, which means that the set is 22 000 R. Let's round up 2.7 to three full seasons. One season costs Rs. pay more than 14,000 R. How to evaluate the tread depth on a used tire, we will tell a little later.
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These are very average values, but still usable. There is no perfect formula, operating conditions and driving style are very different.
Buying used tires will allow you not to get into a loan if a new set is too expensive. Or it will help those who know for sure that at the end of the season they will change the car: there is no point in buying new tires for the next driver. However, the theoretical calculation does not take into account your travel time for the next purchase and the risks of buying a bad kit.
If you plan to drive a car for at least two years, buy new tires.
At first glance, selling tires is illogical. Tires need to be worn out completely and then disposed of, but the market for used rubber is huge. It has several types of sellers with very different offers.
Companies that sell used tires from Europe and Japan. Despite the ban on the import of used rubber, which has been in effect in the Eurasian Customs Union since January 1, 2010, this business is booming. The main thing is to prove that tires are not hazardous waste and they are not imported for recycling.
Therefore, on Avito and various sites, many offices offer used tires of various brands, sizes and models.
| Benefits | Defects |
|---|---|
| Huge selection of summer tires Advice available, professionals know their product Usually there is a tire service on site Safer online shopping. Many sell by bank transfer as a full-fledged online store Tire warranty until the first tire fitting, a defective tire will be changed to a good one or money will be returned | There is almost no choice of winter tires: no studded and little friction - Velcro. You can only buy "euro-winter" for mild climatic conditions. Consultation will not always be truthful and in the interests of the buyer. Everything is like on the market in the bad sense of the word Tires can be of the old year of manufacture |
Here are some of the advantages of specialized stores that sell used tires:
But there are also disadvantages:
Dealers and tire shops. They differ from the first ones in scale - they are much smaller, and also in that they trade at best on the scale of one city.
Often the base for such activities is a tire shop. They buy cheaply at Avito or from tire fitting clients, sell more expensively at Avito or other tire fitting clients.
There are also not very pleasant scenarios: an unscrupulous tire fitting worker offers to dispose of a completely normal set of tires “out of friendship” and gets it for free. For another client, the same kit “very much nothing, two seasons will definitely pass” costs 15,000 rubles.
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A typical tire shop that sells rubber for emergency replacement of a damaged tire. The choice is small, storage is not according to the rules: direct sunlight damages tires. But there are situations when there is no choice
Individuals who sell unwanted tires for a variety of reasons. Here are the main ones:
This makes sense: a car will definitely not become more expensive due to a set of wheels; | Advantages of | Defects |
|---|---|
| You can search tires by car make and model, not just size With a little luck, you can make a super bargain | You will have to choose among ads for a long time and carefully Many do not know what they are selling (mistakes in tire names, sizes and models are normal) A rare seller agrees to tire fitting in his presence, everything will have to be checked by himself and by hand Many scammers: they can offer to leave an advance payment and disappear or send an erased kit instead of what is in the ad No warranty on tires |
Here are some of the benefits of buying used tires from individuals:
But there are also disadvantages:
Universal ad platforms: Avito, Yula and others.
Here is the largest selection of used tires. Both private traders and professionals sell. Despite the convenient application and filters, it takes a lot of time to search. Don't expect every seller to list the model correctly. Bridgestone Potenza can become just "Bridge Stone" - and this is not the worst option.
You will have to scroll through a huge number of ads with completely worn-out tires that are only suitable for recycling. Unfortunately, no filters will save you from this. Looking for tires on Avito is like looking for a treasure: you have to dig a lot, and no one guarantees a reward, but some are lucky.
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Adjust the filter by size - so you will have more chances to find the tires you need You can no longer drive on such tires: they are worn out to the limit marks, this can be seen even in the photo. Plus, the sidewalls are very worn out. But the seller still thinks that he can get 3000 R for them Websites for car sales announcements: "Avto-ru" and "Drom".
There are few private ads here, mainly specialized stores operate on such sites.
Droma has the largest selection of used wheels and tires from Japan in the country. Drome offers a good customer protection service and acts as a guarantor of purchase: if they send you worn or damaged tires, the site will return the money. If everything is fine, they will be transferred to the seller.
At the time of writing the article on Avto-ru, there were only five private ads for the sale of tires of the common size 205/50 R17 throughout Russia. It makes no sense to look for tires from private traders on this site. Source: Avto-ruCar club sites: forums, chats, Drive-2 — places where representatives of car clubs communicate. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the site itself. This can be a group on Vkontakte, a chat on Telegram or WhatsApp.
There are fewer offers here, but they are more interesting, more likely to find a good set. It is not customary to post completely junk for sale in communities or to greatly inflate the price: the ad will be discussed, criticized, or even deleted altogether.
But don't forget about safety. You should not buy something without verification or send the entire amount to a stranger in another city. It is usually customary to ask a friend of a teammate to go look at the kit and make sure that the tires are sent. Here, as a rule, you can place your ad on the purchase of the necessary tires and wait for responses.
There is a flea market on Drive-2. It is not very popular, but it is worth looking into it: there are filters separately for disks, wheels and tires, you can specify the dimensions.
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Special online stores and car disassembly. In most cases, such sellers open an official representative office on Avito, but some sites are still working. They may have rare tires or a more interesting price. Large auto-dismantlers rarely sell tires - they mainly sell sets of wheels. The condition of the tires on the rims is most often mediocre: a car is not sent to scrap on good tires.
Tire shops and car services. It's hard to find interesting deals on tires here, it's not their business. Tires in a tire shop are usually bought in emergency cases: when one or more tires are damaged, but you need to somehow drive a couple of weeks to pay.
Price. Before buying used tires, it is better to check the price of new tires of the right size. Tires from young Chinese brands are very cheap, and the market for used tires is overheated and overpriced. It is impossible to unequivocally answer which is better: a new tire from an unknown manufacturer or a used tire from a well-known brand. But it is necessary to compare, study reviews and weigh everything.
At first glance, an excellent offer. A set of fresh tires 215/55 R17 with 20% wear for 18,000 R. But the indicated balance of 6 mm is about 30% wear. The remaining tread of the new tire is 8 mm, the tread limiter bar has a height of 1.
6 mm. The tire is worn 2 mm. Usable tread depth: 8 mm − 1.6 mm = 6.4 mm. 2mm from 6.4mm is 31% wear. Source: Avito But then it turns out that the new ones are very inexpensive. The remaining 6 mm is two-thirds of the tire resource, which means that buying such a kit costs no more than 16,000 R. Source: Yandex Market Manufacturer, model, size, indices and other features. Be sure to check all tire specifications - everything that is indicated on the sidewall. The seller may not understand tires well or deliberately lie. Carefully inspect each tire. For example, you can accidentally buy a set of four tires, where three will be with runflat technology and one without it. If buying tires remotely, always ask for individual photos of each tire in full detail, or even better, a video.
Tire year. Among the advertisements of specialized stores, there are often tires that are more than 5 years old. Tires may have excellent tread residue, but it is better to refrain from such a purchase.
The older the tire, the worse its properties and the greater the chance of hidden damage: cracks, delaminations and ruptures.
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The tire release marking always looks like this: the first two digits are the week of production, the second two are the yearTread depth. It is not necessary to measure the residual depth "by eye", it is better to buy a special device or use a caliper. The standard tread depth of new summer car tires is 7-8 mm, winter tires are 8-10 mm.
About tires that are long overdue for disposal, they wrote above: summer tires less than 4 mm or winter tires less than 5 mm should not be bought "for the season", it is not safe.
Digital Tread Depth Gauge is a simple and cheap instrument. It will help to accurately measure the residual tread depth and adjust the price of a set of tires. Source: Yandex Market Tread condition, damage and repairs.
Do not buy tires with uneven tread wear. They will not be able to provide a complete drainage of water from the contact patch with the road, it is unsafe to ride on them. Severe cuts or even the absence of individual tread fragments will also be a reason to refuse a purchase. Without a specialist, you run the risk of buying a tire that you cannot use.
But do not be afraid of well-repaired punctures. Tires with patches on the inside of the tread part can be bought, this will not affect further operation. You should not buy tires on which punctures were repaired with a tourniquet.
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Obviously, this tire is no good: there is almost no tread, the studs are completely worn out. The central part is almost completely missing, and the sidewalls are less worn. Maybe the tire was pumped. Surprisingly, they also sell such Cracks and delaminations. Long longitudinal cracks, along the circumference of the tire on the sidewall or small cracks in the tread area - in any case, bad.
Either such a tire was poorly stored, or it is very old. This is a particularly dangerous case, because such a tire can collapse while driving and cause a terrible accident. Cracks are not repaired, so you will have to refrain from buying.
Sidewall condition, damage and repairs. Hernias of any size, side cuts and patches on the side of the tire are good reasons to keep looking. You can't buy these tires.
Carefully inspect and feel the sidewalls of the tires. Unfortunately, not all defects can be found on a tire without a disk and without air inside. It will be ideal if you can mount tires on rims in a tire shop. Ask to balance the wheels and only then pay.
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If in doubt that the tires are intact, look for another option. Remember that it is the tires that connect your car and the road.
The surface adjacent to the rim may also be damaged on the tire.
The photo shows the consequences of careless tire fitting of an old tire. I don't recommend buying this tire. If in doubt, and the offer is very interesting, ask the opinion of a tire fitting specialist Presence of spikes and their condition. It is not necessary to count every stud on a tire, it is difficult and time consuming. Just look at the tire: if it seems that there are about half of the studs on it or less, you do not need to buy a tire. Studded tires without studs won't get Velcro, so don't just look at the tread.
Studs on a tire that has already been driven for a couple of seasons look very different from new ones. They were worn off along the way, the seats were broken. In the background, you can see that the tire has already begun to lose studs. Even with sufficient tread, you can be left without spikes very quickly, it is better to look for another option Ads often offer used tires at an inflated price.
We have made a special calculator that will help you calculate the fair value of tires, regardless of the manufacturer, technical parameters of tires and their number in the kit.
As tire recycling becomes more commonplace, recycled rubber products are showing up in unexpected places like playgrounds. mulching to driveways and engineering facilities. Diverse industries are starting to discover ways to benefit from this reusable product. Learn more to find out where you can expect recycled rubber products to be next.
Mike Skoropad, owner of United Tires used tire shop.
Contents
Recycled tires can be used to make rubber tiles. They are lighter than shingles made from other materials such as asphalt or slate and can therefore be transported in large volumes, resulting in additional cost savings and environmental benefits for roofing companies.
Shingles can currently be made from recycled rubber for 95%. They only require certain additives to make them flame retardant.
Many industries can benefit from tire recycling, and these four industries are at the top of my list.
The fashion industry creatively uses recycled tires to produce durable bags, shoes and fashion accessories that are commonly shown on fashion runways and advertised for sale on e-commerce sites.
In the footwear industry, recycled tires are mainly used to make soles. It is a cheap source of rubber and is very durable for all kinds of soles and shoes.
The arts and crafts industry works magic with recycled tires to create unique and beautiful pieces of art that are sold as art for interior decoration and personal use.
The hospitality industry has recently begun recycling tires to make chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture. They are used to decorate hotels, restaurants, salons, as well as props at social events.
Adanna Gideofor - Public Relations Manager My speech class. She is also an accomplished copywriter, creative content writer and talented voiceover artist.
Philip Westfall, RWeza Marketing Director.
The big company that would benefit from tire recycling would be the energy industry. Tires have been proven time and time again to produce energy like oil and coal. When tires burn, the fuel is clean as no sulfur is produced.
Another industry that will benefit is the rail industry. Rubber coated steel tracks are becoming more common in tracks and they are much more durable compared to steel tracks. They can last up to 90 days and they are also 200 percent stronger.
Tire recycling is a major problem today. If left to nature, it can cause dangerous problems with natural resources and degrade the quality of the land. Hollow and heavy tires are also thrown into abandoned lands, where they accumulate and become home to various mosquitoes and [disease vectors].
Because burning tires is also unacceptable, tire recycling appears to be viable and also benefits many industries. These industries include:
Construction industry
Tires can be reused in the construction of railroad tracks to reduce vibration and as a component of building materials used for running tracks and playgrounds.
Cement Kilns / Paper and Pulp Kilns
Tire derived fuel (TDF) is used as a complementary fuel in these industries because it is economical and energy efficient.
Chemical industry
The method used to obtain TDF also generates several by-products. These by-products can be used to purify chemicals.
Rubber industry
Solid char residue can be used as a smokeless fuel in the rubber industry.
Fashion industry
The fashion industry uses rubber (made from recycled tires) to make creative bags, wallets, etc.
Miranda Yang, co-founder of WinPit.
