<P> Shredded tires are now being used in landfills, replacing other construction materials, for a lightweight back - fill in gas venting systems, leachate collection systems, and operational liners . Shredded tire material may also be used to cap, close, or daily cover landfill sites . Scrap tires as a back - fill and cover material are also more cost - effective, since tires can be shredded on - site instead of hauling in other fill materials . </P> <P> Tire stockpiles create a great health and safety risk . Tire fires can occur easily, burning for months, creating substantial pollution in the air and ground . Recycling helps to reduce the number of tires in storage . An additional health risk, tire piles provide harborage for vermin and a breeding ground for mosquitoes that may carry diseases . Illegal dumping of scrap tires pollutes ravines, woods, deserts, and empty lots; which has led many states to pass scrap tire regulations requiring proper management . Tire amnesty day events, in which community members can deposit a limited number of waste tires free of charge, can be funded by state scrap tire programs, helping decrease illegal dumping and improper storage of scrap tires . </P> <P> Tire storage and recycling are sometimes linked with illegal activities and lack of environmental awareness . </P> <P> Although tires are usually burnt, not recycled, efforts are continuing to find value . Tires can be reclaimed into, among other things, the hot melt asphalt, typically as crumb rubber modifier--recycled asphalt pavement (CRM--RAP), and as an aggregate in portland cement concrete Efforts have been made to use recycled tires as raw material for new tires, but such tires may integrate recycled materials no more than 5% by weight, and tires that contain recycled material are inferior to new tires, suffering from reduced tread life and lower traction . Tires have also been cut up and used in garden beds as bark mulch to hold in the water and to prevent weeds from growing . Some "green" buildings, both private and public, have been made from old tires . </P>

Ways that waste tyre and wheel components and products should be disposed of