CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- University of Illinois scientists say placing shredded tires on top of -- rather than in -- landfills can save money and benefit the environment.
The study was conducted by Timothy Stark, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the university's Champaign-Urbana campus, and Krishna Reddy, a professor of civil engineering at UI-Chicago.
The professors evaluated the use of shredded tires as a drainage material in waste-containment systems. They found shredding tires into chips roughly 4 inches by 6 inches offers a simple and cost-effective way of providing landfill drainage and disposal of mountains of scrap tires.
Nearly 280 million tires are discarded annually in the United States.
Reddy said many states require scrap tires be shredded into chips prior to disposal. "Instead of simply burying those chips ... we suggest using them as a drainage layer in both modern and abandoned landfills."
Stark and Reddy suggest shredded tires might also be used as backfill behind retaining walls and in other locations where sand or gravel is commonly used.
