Cyclists in Northwest Arkansas can properly dispose of used bicycle tires thanks to a new recycling initiative, according to a news release.
Net Zero Tire has announced the launch of the NWA Bicycle Tire Recycling and Sustainability Program. Net Zero processes the majority of worn out car and truck tires in Northwest Arkansas so they don’t end up in landfills, according to the company.
The company is a division of Jordan Disposal LLC, a roll-off dumpster rental service based in Galena, Kan., which serves communities in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Net Zero Tire is offering free tire drop-off at the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District facility in Prairie Grove, which serves Washington and Madison counties. The company is also working with area bicycle shops to see who would be interested in setting up drop-off stations at their stores. The company would then pick up the old tires and take them to the Prairie Grove facility.
Ideally, tires brought to the facility will be tied in bundles of 10, but all quantities will still be accepted, according to the company. Tires on rims and whole bicycles will not be accepted, however.
“With the rising population of Northwest Arkansas, in the big biking environment, we just don’t need more tires in the landfill beyond average,” said Mark Summers, facility manager at Net Zero Tire.
The Eco-Vista landfill in Tontitown is the only state-permitted landfill in Northwest Arkansas. It is expected to run out of room for nontoxic, household and commercial waste in 10 to 15 years, according to its latest application seeking a permit to expand.
Bicycle tires collected by Net Zero Tire are recycled into a rubber chip product, which is used as fuel in local paper mills and power plants, according to Summers. Burning rubber for fuel — often as a supplement to coal — is a more environmentally friendly way of disposal than letting it sit in landfills, Summers added.
The rubber chip product, called tire aggregate, can also be used for construction and landscaping, Summers said. Using it for fuel has been the more common course of action in Arkansas, which doesn’t have many places to recycle rubber, according to Summers.
Collecting Northwest Arkansas’ old bicycle tires was previously a one-man job, according to Bella Vista cyclist Randy Bowers, who owns bicycle tire repair business Tread Medics. The business specializes in permanently repairing punctures and sidewall slashes on bicycle tires.
Bowers became interested in recycling bicycle tires after learning about tire-derived fuel. He knew people were getting their tires changed, but he also knew the old tires were ending up in landfills. So, the repair business — comprising only Bowers — started its own tire-recycling initiative. Bowers made relationships with 21 bike shops across Northwest Arkansas and started picking up their old tires.
Bowers couldn’t continue the recycling operation because the number of tires he amassed became overwhelming.
“We were bringing in 500 tires a week,” he said. “We’re talking right here in Northwest Arkansas, and 100% of those would have gone to a landfill to rot.”
Bowers approached Net Zero Tire, which previously only used car and truck tires to create tire-derived fuel. He brought about 1,000 pounds of bicycle tires last year to be shredded at the facility in Prairie Grove. The company decided bicycle tires could be used for tire-derived fuel as well, Bowers said.
Before the program, there was no good option to dispose of old bicycle tires in Northwest Arkansas, according to Branton Moore, a manager at Highroller Cyclery in Rogers. He said the store has been known to replace 50 to 75 bicycle tires and inner tubes per week. The waste from those replacements usually ended up in landfills before the program, he said.
Moore said he likes the idea of converting rubber into fuel because it gives a second use to bicycle tires, which are typically single-use products.
Moore added he is hopeful participation in the NWA Bicycle Tire Recycling and Sustainability Program will be high. He said other options for retailers and individuals to recycle bike tires often involve shipping them, which can be cost-prohibitive.
“I’m really happy to have met (Summers) and get a little bit familiar with their operation,” Moore said.
