What’s the Problem?
Scrap tires present a dramatic waste disposal problem. In the United States approximately one scrap tire is generated every year per person. As the population increases, the number of tires generated grows correspondingly. While the market for scrap tires continues to grow, it cannot begin to address the nearly 305 million scrap tires annually that are going into landfills and tire dumps.
It is estimated that New Jersey alone now generates approximately 8.4 million additional scrap tires annually. Add to this the 9 million to 12 million scrap tires already stockpiled in New Jersey’s 29 major scrap tire dumps, and the magnitude of the problem in New Jersey alone is obvious. In addition to having their own existing, large scrap tire stockpiles, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland together generate approximately 41.75 million additional scrap tires annually.