Recycling Rubber

Recycling Rubber

Not sure what items around your house are suitable for recycling? This series of pages will cover all materials that an informed layman and consumer should be aware of regarding most commonly known recyclable materials- things like newspaper, styrofoam, aluminum, and plastic water bottles.

We will also discuss some materials that are not widely known to be recyclable like appliances and concrete. There should be special attention given to materials that are poorly understood and/or hard to recycle.

Uses

The practice of recycling products made with rubber can provide many uses in our everyday lives.

Some of the prominent usages of recycled rubber include rubber-flooring. Children's playgrounds, for instance, use this rubber flooring for increasing grip and preventing injuries.

In similar fashion, the road pavements as well as driveways using the recycled rubber could offer assistance for preventing accidents and softening impact. Carpets and flooring tiles manufactured from recycled rubber are easy to clean. These products are durable and come in a myriad of colors.

Further these products are safe to be used and are generally less expensive when compared to other flooring materials. These recycled products are also used in preventing soil erosion by providing artificial garden surfacing.

Disadvantages

Since heavy metals and other pollutants remain existent in rubber, the potential risk of leaching of toxins into the groundwater while placing in wet soils remain in a huge possibility. The impact thus, on the environment can vary according to the pH level as well as conditions of local water and the soil.

However, the detailed research shows that very little leaching takes place while shredded tires are utilized as light fill material. Though, a limitation has been placed on such usage.

In Closing

There could be huge advantages from recycled rubber products. Personal as well as household items can be made from recycled rubber products. Rubber bands, for example, have innumerable usages in the daily life.

The soles for shoes, as well, remain one most important products prepared from recycled rubber.

Besides being friendly to the environment, recycling worn or unwanted products helps by keeping the cost of these necessary items affordable.

Thus, recycling rubber products instead of just dumping them or burying them in the backyard could help one in many ways.

Sources

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/6888/report/0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_recycling
http://www.recycle.net/Rubber/index.html

Find a Place for Recycling Rubber Near You

Local/Denver http://www.frtirerecycle.com/
Australia http://www.thegreenpages.com.au/Green-Eco-Directory/Recycling+Waste/Rubber+Tyre_Recycling

For more information on recycling rubber near you just input the phrase, recycling rubber in 'your area' in your search engine search bar. Or go to earth911.com.

For more information on other types of materials that can be recycled and about why recycling is important follow these links:

What Materials Can Be Recycled

Recycling Lead

Recycle Carpet

Recycle Clip Art

Recycling Ink Cartridges

Recycling Metals

Recycling Old Computers

Recycling Paper

PET Recycling

Recycling Plastic Bottles

Recycling Styrofoam