STURGIS, Mich — Here in Michigan, we are known for helping put the world on wheels. And now we're doing our best to help recycle them.
And it turns out we’re pretty good at it.
Since 1993 the Michigan Scrap Tire Program has provided more than $41,000,000 through grants to help remove the equivalent of about 38 million passenger tires here in the state. And with it being illegal to dump motor vehicle tires in a landfill in Michigan, a lot of that rubber rolls right through Cobalt Holdings in Sturgis.
They recycle around 10,000 tons of tires every year according to production manager Mark Deroshia.
“So we get tires for multiple things, we have customers that we go and we'll pick up tires from them, we also do county cleanups, when you have a big tire pile that might need to be cleaned up," Mark told us. "We'll do we do hand drop-off. So if somebody has a trailer of tires that they want to bring in, they can bring it in and drop it off. But we do charge for the tires that we bring in.”
That means a lot of shredding, sorting, and re-shredding goes into turning tires into recycled finished products, which is used for everything from rubber for playgrounds to road applications.
“When you have rubber in your asphalt, it helps with the expansion and the contraction of not having such big cracks form," said Deroshia. "So here in Michigan, it would be very helpful when you have the hot-to-cold temperature swings like we do.”
In 2022, 91 cleanup grants —over $679,000— were awarded for the removal of around 400,000 tires, Giving this rubber a second life and helping clean up the landscape.
“I don't know if anybody realizes just how many tires are taken off of vehicles every day," Mark asked us. "And if they're not recycled? I mean, where are they going?”
The answer usually is places they are not supposed to be. But at Cobalt and other facilities across the state, they are getting a chance to make a difference.
“Environmentally this job is really rewarding when it comes to making sure we’re doing our part to help the next generation to live in a sustainable environment,” Mark said.
Trashed tires are not only hazardous to the environment, they become a breeding ground for mosquitos or the perfect place for wasps, brown recluses, and other dangerous pests to make homes.
