How to Sell Recycled Rubber Tires

Try using the Internet to sell your rubber tires.

Products made from rubber are a vital part of everyday life. We use rubber in our homes, hospitals, hotels and offices. One of the more popular uses of rubber is in the tires we put on our vehicles. Tires can have a significant environmental effect, however, as the processes to make them release harmful gases into the atmosphere and the process to dispose of them--usually in landfills--can release harmful wastes into the earth. Selling recycled tires can reduce this footprint and improve the air and earth for generations to come.

Instructions

1. Contact auto parts stores or garages in your area if the tires you'd like to sell can still be used on vehicles. Search the yellow pages if you're not sure where to find these businesses. When contacting an auto business, tell them exactly what kind of tires you are selling and the price. An incentive for selling them might be that you deliver the tires. If they don't want to purchase your tires, ask whether they know someone in the area who might want them. Often auto businesses have lots of contacts.

2. Use the Internet or take out a local newspaper ad to sell your recycled tires. There are a number of websites, such as The Recyclers Exchange, Trade Key and eBay, that allow you to sell tires at a price that you set. When listing your recycled tires, include the important details, such as cost, size and how much wear is on them. Contact your local newspaper on the fees for taking out an ad. Although you can't be sure how someone will use the tires you're selling, they should at least have some tread still on them.

3. Contact a junkyard in your area to see whether you can sell your tires to them. Some states do allow this and some do not, however. See Resource 1 for links to information about your state's regulations.

4. Make crafts out of your recycled tires and sell them. You can cut up the tires and make such things as door stoppers and sell them on the Internet. If your recycled tires are still intact, you could make decorated planters out of them and sell them to greenhouses.

References

• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Scrap tire recycling business is booming and providing fuel"; Joe Napsha; May 2008
• Trade Key: Registration
• Recycle: The Recycler's Exchange
• EBay: Recycled Tires

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Rubber Manufacturers Association: State directory