I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to bury a tire, but if you do, you’ll soon find out that the tire won’t stay in the ground. Depending on the depth in which you will bury it, they will eventually rise to the top in some years time.
In fact, if a tire is buried 5-feet (1,5m) below the surface, it will – under normal conditions, of course – “float” to the surface in about 10 years. But why? Why do tires “refuse” to remain underground when buried like everything else?
Well, here’s how it goes. (the article continues after the ad)
The answer is quite simple actually. Whole tires will trap air and methane gas which makes the tire constantly push back on the soil around it. Since the pressure above the tire is significantly less than the pressure below it, the tire will eventually rise itself to the surface. The only way a tire won’t migrate toward to surface is if you shred it.
So, what happens to old tires?
They are recycled – and that is the best solution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that more than 110 different products are made out of recycled tire’s material, including rubberized asphalt, rubber-encased railroad ties, playground surfaces, rubber-encased railroad ties and many many more.
So, now you know!
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Here’s Why Some Foods Explode In The Microwave
Photo: Matt Rath / Chesapeake Bay Program, Steve Bremer / Flickr
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
Sources: Ever Wonder Why? Here Are The Answers | Rubber Rubble | Rubber Recycling Facts | Unsolved Landfill Mysteries—The Case of the Floating Tire | What Happens to Old Tires?
