How to Reuse Automobile Tires

The United States generates more than 300 million scrap tires every year, according to estimates by Lori L. Mavrigian, Managing Editor of "Modern Tire Dealer" magazine. Scrap tires can become an environmental threat. They are a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes and vermin and may ignite and release extremely toxic chemicals into the air and water. In recent years, recycling efforts by the public and private sectors have reclaimed over 80 percent of all scrap tires in the U.S. The public can help by being aware of all the ways tires can be reused.

Instructions

• 1

  Hang a tire off a sturdy tree branch with rope to make a swing. Wash the tire with soap and water and bleach it before hanging. Puncture the tire at the bottom to drain rainwater and prevent insects from breeding in pooled water. Protect the tree by threading the rope through a rubber tube.

• 2

  Lay a tire flat on the ground to make a child's sandbox--large tractor and truck tires work better for this. Line the tire with a plastic garbage bag and fillit with sand. Cover it with a tarp when it is not in use to prevent neighborhood cats from using it as a kitty box.

• 3

  Trace your foot on a large sheet of paper, allowing 3/8 of an inch all around and adding extra tabs on the sides and back for straps to be attached, to make a pair of sturdy sandals. Use the pattern to cut a length of tire rubber as the sole of the sandal.

• 4

  Trace, mark and cut semicircular "petal" shapes around the side of a well-worn tire to create a garden planter. Turn inside out, clean, paint and fill with soil and plantings. Both rimless and rimmed tires work here; rimmed tires lift the planter off the ground quite nicely.

• 5

  Line a tire with newspaper or plastic and fill it with concrete. Add an upright pole to use for a net support, for tether ball or to create an outdoor laundry line. Add eye-bolts to the wet concrete or to the upright pole for any tie-downs.

• 6

  Place tires in a zigzag pattern on the ground to create an obstacle course for football practice or skateboarding.