Tires take around 600 years to decompose in nature and can cause a lot of damage if they are not disposed of and recycled properly. Find out how to do your part with the fleet's used tires.
What to do with old tires?
How important is it to dispose of tires correctly?
How to dispose of tires?
Why tire recycling?
How to recycle fleet tires?
Going beyond tire disposal and recycling
What to do with old tires?
When it comes to dealing with old fleet tires, it is important to keep in mind the importance of correctly disposing of tires and recycling these materials, mainly because more than 450 thousand tons of tires are discarded per year in Brazil (data from Agency Brazil).
Instead of simply throwing the parts in the trash, you can find specialized companies that can recycle used tires, transforming them into new products or even generating energy.
Suggested reading: Tires: tips and precautions for fleet management
How important is it to dispose of tires correctly?
Disposal of used tires contributes significantly to the preservation of the environment, but this practice is not limited to the benefits for sustainability in fleet management.
When parts are discarded inappropriately, they can become a major problem, as they can release toxic substances and cause soil and water contamination.
Not to mention that lack of care can have a negative impact on public health, as these tires can become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
It is also essential to follow local regulations and ensure that disposal is done responsibly. Choosing sustainable and conscious practices is contributing to a cleaner future.
A great example is the CONAMA Resolution No. 416/2009 which establishes guidelines for disposing of tires correctly. According to the National Environmental Council, manufacturers and importers are responsible for the environmentally correct disposal of these products after use, implementing environmentally appropriate collection and final disposal systems.
Furthermore, Law No. 12.305 / 2010 of the National Solid Waste Policy reinforces the shared responsibility between consumers, manufacturers, importers and public authorities in the adequate management of solid waste.
In other words, these laws encourage reverse logistics and propose a forwarding system to the appropriate final destination. But how to dispose of tires correctly in the fleet?
How to dispose of tires?
If you are in doubt about how to dispose of tires correctly, we will present four solutions. So, just choose which of the options best fits the reality of your fleet.
1. Return to dealer or manufacturer
One possibility is to go to the dealership where you purchased the tires and return them, completing the idea of reverse logistics. Just confirm that the place of purchase accepts the return of parts for disposal.
If you don't remember where you made the purchase and don't have it in your history, check the possibility of making a return at the factory itself. This may be a more viable alternative, especially if the brand is well known and established in the market.
2. Deliver to the tire shop
When changing tires, it is common to leave the parts at the tire shop, as the location is responsible for proper handling and understands the importance of correctly disposing of tires.
But ensure that the process is truly sustainable, there is no point in sending the parts to a place that does not understand the environmental impact generated or is not concerned with environmental issues, ending up simply throwing the tires on any piece of land.
3. Take to a collection point
The best way to find out where the collection points for recyclable materials are is to contact your city hall. Typically, these places receive various waste, such as batteries, cooking oil and batteries, and handle them appropriately.
In some municipalities, collection points do not receive used tires because there is already a company specializing in this disposal, which collects the parts and carries out a series of assessments to be able to dispose of them appropriately.
4. Hire a tire disposal company
After receiving, separating and sanitizing the pieces, these companies can determine whether they can be reused, reducing environmental impacts and preventing new raw materials from being taken from nature.
Tires that are not transformed into new products through the melting process go through the reuse process (upcycling). In this case, they are creatively transformed into new items.
Suggested reading: Everything about tire validity and how it directly impacts the fleet
Why tire recycling?
Another important issue on this subject is tire recycling, which plays a crucial role in mitigating the environmental impacts resulting from the large-scale production and disposal of these materials in Brazil.
For you to have an idea, our country produces around 70 million tires per year and discards more than 160 million in the same period.
Therefore, tire recycling presents itself as a responsible choice, bringing benefits such as reduced environmental impact, reduced exploitation of natural resources and a positive impact on the company's reputation.
How to recycle fleet tires?
A clear sign that it is time to recycle a tire is the wear of the tread, which directly influences its performance, so this is a very important point in car review.
When the grooves are worn to the point that they reach the minimum legal depth limit (1,6 mm), or when there is structural damage, such as deep cuts, the tire is no longer suitable for use.
In a way, the steps for recycling tires are very similar to the disposal process you've already seen:
- Gather and store used tires from the fleet
- Avoid contact of parts with water and humidity, which can accelerate the degradation process
- Search for tire recycling companies or specialized collection centers
- Cooperate with manufacturers that offer reverse logistics programs
It is also important to keep records and document the process, including the quantity of tires recycled and the methods used, which helps maintain transparency and can be useful for sustainability reporting.
Suggested reading: Tire wear: learn how to check and prevent the 8 main types
Going beyond tire disposal and recycling
It is important to explore all available possibilities to minimize environmental impact and promote more conscious and responsible practices with the fleet, so we will share some more alternatives.
Acquire more efficient vehicles
Vehicles are responsible for a large part of pollution, so, despite the higher initial investment, electric vehicles powered by natural gas and bioethanol are a friendly choice for the environment and very economical for the fleet.
Suggested reading: Biofuel: what is it, what are the advantages and why use it in your fleet?
Optimize routes
Investing time to define more strategic routes is not only good for the company's pocket: with less traffic on roads and highways, it is possible reduce the emission of polluting gases and fuel waste at the same time.
Follow the fleet maintenance plan
With maintenance plan Nowadays, it is possible to prevent vehicles from burning more fuel or tires from suffering more wear and needing frequent changes, increasing their useful life and avoiding their disposal for a few more years.
Suggested reading: Sustainable maintenance: what it is and how to apply it in fleet management
Raise team awareness
We cannot deny that drivers are also responsible for tire wear, so offering training on responsible driving is a way to ensure that your fleet is on the right track.
Remembering that the disposal and recycling processes are continuous, so whatever you can to facilitate this is always valid. To help you with the sustainability of your operation, We created an exclusive guide on ESG practices that you can access right now.
