It’s National Tire Safety Week, and MI Environment is highlighting how proper tire care and maintenance benefit the environment.

Properly inflated tires help promote better fuel economy, and regular care helps tires get the most potential wear prior to disposal. Fewer tire disposals result in fewer resources used to manufacture and recycle tires. They also reduce the chance that tires are dumped, burned, or become a mosquito breeding habitat. Recycled scrap tires can be used in asphalt to pave roads, rubber modified chip-seal to repair roads, as mulch in gardens and playgrounds, and in manufacturing processes. In 2024 alone, EGLE awarded over $2 million in market development grants to local road commissions and Michigan Technological University, assisting with expand the use of tires in new products and fix Michigan roads.

Proper handling, recycling, and disposal of tires is the focus of the scrap tire program at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The program is responsible for overseeing the handling of scrap tires generated in Michigan, cleaning up existing scrap tire piles of 500 or more tires, and expanding the reuse and recycling of scrap tires.

In late May, EGLE announced the award of $1,105,000 in grants to fund 55 community scrap tire drop-off events and other tire cleanups across the state.

Community events provide affordable, convenient tire recycling opportunities to residents, including the creation of year-round collections sites and roadside pickups. Additionally, nine new grant projects and one grant amendment will fund the removal of old scrap tire piles at private properties.

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for tire manufacturers that produce tires in the U.S. It recommends drivers check their tire pressure monthly, regularly check their tire tread depth, and ensure their tires are rotated and properly aligned. With routine maintenance by a tire service professional, tires can maintain optimum performance and service life.