bike tire/tube recycling?

[Old5ten]

i'm trying to get rid of a big pile of used tires and tubes in a responsible manner (recycling), but haven't found anybody that will take them and do something other than toss them in the trash.

does anyone have experience with a facility or organization in the bay/davis area that does something useful with used tires and tubes?

any info would be much appreciated.

thanks,

elmar

[Rob Hawks]

Please post any useful replies to the respective lists. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only other one who would prefer not to trash can these items.

rob hawks

--
This message is from the San Francisco Randonneurs list at sfra...@googlegroups.com
Search the archives at http://groups.google.com/group/sfrandon
For SFR's schedule and general information, visit http://sfrandonneurs.org/
To unsubscribe, email sfrandon+u...@googlegroups.com

[Old5ten]

will do, if i get anything.  this issue has been a thorn in my side for a while.  it seems like there should be a mandated program, similar to what happens with car tires.  some shops have bins up, but the tires/tubes go in the trash and don't get recycled.

maybe something could be started via various advocacy groups?

elmar

[Spoke My Rim Velo Club]

Try the local bike co-ops. What seems like trash to us can still be rideable by others. There is also a woman making carpets out of old tubes, and many rubber places take used tired and turn them into playground ground 

--

Shaun Arora

(818) 297-4814

[C. Duque]

Sports Basement (at least the one on the Presidio) has a big container
in the bike shop full of them. You can add yours there.

I use mine to make cell phone covers, rubber bands and other things.
http://bike.duque.net/other-photos.htm?pic=205
http://bike.duque.net/gear-photos.htm?pic=428
http://bike.duque.net/other-photos.htm?pic=204

Carlos

On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 3:38 PM, Old5ten <old5...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Old5ten]

yes, BUT do you know what happens to them after the bin?  all the places i've seen (that have bins), toss the tires in the trash, which is something i could do myself and want to avoid.  if they tell you the tires/tubes get recycled, ask them through what organization.  i'm not looking for an out of sight, out of mind solution.

elmar 

[Old5ten]

generally speaking, when i retire a tire i feel it is no longer safe.  i would not want someone else to use that tire for cycling. 

if you have actual contact information for someone making carpets out of old tubes that would be great.  if you have actual contact information for rubber places that take used bicycle (not car) tires and shred them for playground material, that would be great to.

the reality is, i've asked at the berkeley recycling center and was told to go to the transfer station (dump).  i've asked at several car tire places and got turned down.  it's not as easy as it should be.  even if someone does home projects, when one thinks about the number of cyclists in the bay area alone, there needs to be a more viable solution.

elmar

[Greg Beato]

Sports Basement says on its web page that it donate the tubes it
collects at all of its stores to Alchemy Goods, a company in Seattle
that manufactures bags, belts, and other products from old tubes and
other upcycled products. See these links for more info:

http://community.sportsbasement.com/archives/ag-bags/
http://alchemygoods.com/

[Old5ten]

that sounds really good, but doesn't solve tires (only tubes).  i'm also wondering how much quantity an organization like alchemy can handle?

elmar

[Darell (EVnut)]

Just to be clear, since this thread is not Davis-specific -

Jim's response about the Bike People refers to a small bike shop in Davis.

-= Darell =-
http://EVnut.com

-----Original Message-----
From: dbc-b...@dbclist.org [mailto:dbc-b...@dbclist.org] On Behalf Of
watson
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 9:26 AM
To: Rob Hawks
Cc: old5...@gmail.com; DBC mailing list; SF Randonneurs
Subject: Re: [DBC] [SFRandon] bike tire/tube recycling?

See the Bike People. They're in an alley off L Street just north of the
4th/L intersection.
The shop's not visible from the street. He's usually got a small sign out.
You walk back to the last door. I've given him all my leftover tubes and
parts. He's great about trying to reuse everything possible.

This isn't the Bike Forth collective which is on 4th Street.

> _______________________________________________
> DBC mailing list
> D...@dbclist.org
> http://www.dbclist.org/mailman/listinfo/dbc

_______________________________________________
DBC mailing list
D...@dbclist.org
http://www.dbclist.org/mailman/listinfo/dbc

[Old5ten]

i've been digging around a bit more.  seems like there are a lot of places that donate tubes to alchemy goods, but when one looks at the restrictions that alchemy has, one has to wonder what happens to all the other tubes that may go into a collection bin?

http://alchemygoods.com/recycling-faq.html

the inability to use any tubes skinnier than 35c cuts out a huge number of people.  pretty much everything i have is 23/25c or 28c max.

elmar

On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 8:45 AM, Greg Beato <greg...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ernesto Montenero]

Elmar, all:

 

http://goldenscraptire.com/our-scrap-tire-and-rubber-products

 

We can probably ship to a tire recycler directly or drop off to them. 

I will look into local recyclers.  These guys make playground and stable rubber mulch.

I have dropped off old tires at tires stores but I was not super sure that they were going to get to the recycler.

For what I was able to find out there are no bicycle tire programs in place.  Automobile tire disposal is very regulated in contrast.

Happy 2012

Sincerely,

Ernesto

 

Ernesto Montenero

Operations Manager

Sustainable Technologies

www.sustainabletech.cc
1800 Orion St Suite 101 Alameda, CA 94501
510 523-1122 phone / 510 523-1123 fax

License #772329 A, C-10, HAZ, HIC, 8(a), MBE, SBE, Bay Area Green Business

 

---

[Rob Hawks]

Was there ever a final conclusion on this topic? If someone has found a destination for these items where the materials are actually recycled, I'd very much like to get SFR involved in collection and supporting delivery to a certified re-cycling entity.

I personally can help *some* on this, but given the other admin stuff I'm doing for SFR/RUSA I can't coordinate this. Can someone else step up?

Thanks,

rob

[Bubba]

Rob

I don't know that this qualifies as stepping up or not, but I've done the following:

1.  On the rumor that REI recycles bicycle tires and tubes, I called REI Berkeley and confirmed that they will NOT accept our tires and tubes

2.  On the advice of one blog, I contacted my locally owned and operated Big O (El Cerrito) where I buy all my car tires.  I talked with the owner, and he said IF his recycling company will accept bicycle tires and tubes, that he would be willing to work with me to agree to a drop off schedule and if necessary, a fee structure.  I know that rubber recycling does cost something, and I think it would be unreasonable to expect El Cerrito Big O to just do it for free if they have to pay.  I would hope that since I pay 25cents a tire that bike tires can be taken for just a few cents per tire.  How we as a group decide to raise those fee funds I'm sure we could handle.  I expect to hear back from him sometime this week.

Bubba

[Old5ten]

i'm still working on that, but not making a whole lot of headway.

the main problem is to find a place that will take all tires and tubes, regardless of quantity, size, or other factors.  the most promising lead was borgata recycling in san jose.  unfortunately it seems that place is closed.  the number is disconnected and the website looks like it hasn't been updated in a while.

i also think that this needs to go way beyond sfr, since there are many more cyclists in the bay area who could benefit from a recycling service.  my sense is still that REI or mikes bikes is the best way to go in terms of collection (and possibly transportation) because they have multiple locations around the bay area and significant resources.

unfortunately, the one person i contacted at REI never got back to me and the source i had at mike's bikes in berkeley is no longer there.

my buddy at stopwaste got back to me and said they could possible offer support in terms of grant money and publication/promotion of a program, but would not participate in organizing or running it.

elmar

[Jim Gardner | Good Karma Bikes]

Dear All,

I am new SFR member and rank newbie randonneur.  I tell you that just this year I have learned much rando-wisdom already from this group.  Alas, a work deadline prevents my participation this weekend’s 200k.

I am the Executive Director of Good Karma Bikes.  We supply safe, reliable transportation to at-risk youth, low-wage workers and homeless.  We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit that can accept donations that are legally tax deductible.  One of the things that we are always in need of is tubes and tires.

We don’t have any need for 650B tires, but 650B tubes can work in Ø26 and 700C.  Really, we’re talking about people who are desperate for any safe transportation on a bicycle.

The last thing I want to say is that I don’t have enough of a social life.  That’s why I joined SFR; not to solicit donations.

I look forward to meeting you all at upcoming brevets.

Best wishes,

Jim

--
This message is from the San Francisco Randonneurs list at sfra...@googlegroups.com
Search the archives at http://groups.google.com/group/sfrandon
For SFR's schedule and general information, visit http://sfrandonneurs.org/
To unsubscribe, email sfrandon+u...@googlegroups.com

James T. Gardner, Ph. D.

Executive Director, Good Karma Bikes: Transportation for Transformation

Voice & SMS: 408-476-3669

www.GoodKarmaBikes.org

[Sam Larson]

Hi all;

Tip Top Bike Shop in Oakland works with a recycling company to re-purpose tubes and tires.  I know because I'm the service manager there and we take a couple of hundred pounds of used rubber up to their facility every month.  There is a small catch in that the company we work with does charge us a fee to accept the material, but we take on that cost as a part of offering the service to our riders.  We have some local clubs and riders who collect/stockpile their tubes and tires and then bring them into the store by the bag.  If the SFR group felt like coordinating that, we would be happy to take the materials off of your hands.

Sam Larson
Service Manager, Tip Top Bike Shop

[Rob Hawks]

Hi Sam,

Thanks. This sounds as promising as any suggestion so far, if not more so.

One of the things that concerns some of us contributing to this thread is that we don't know what happens to the materials that are not re-purposed. If we knew that the materials that were not re-purposed into other products weren't simply sent to the landfill I think we'd not only like to participate, we'd also like to support this so your shop doesn't have to carry all the load, so to speak. 

I know this is extra work for you, but could you find out:

a) if there is an expressed criteria for materials accepted

b) what happens to materials that don't meet the criteria

c) How does the facility accepting the material define 're-purposed'

Thanks much Sam.

rob

[Greg Merritt]

I find myself wondering if expired tubes and tires are, relatively
speaking, an economic and energetic dead end? If it were highly
profitable, cheap, and easy to recycle them back into new tubes and
tires, or to repurpose them into some other product, then I suspect
there would be a booming economy around them and they would be in
demand.

If they were considered as nasty in the waste stream as motor oil or
batteries, then there might be rules about their disposal.

It would be cool if Tip Top's channel for passing them on is a good
option. Given that it costs them money to do this, a simple approach
to supporting them might be to purchase your new tubes and tires at
Tip Top when handing off your old ones, when possible.

-Greg

[Sam Larson]

Hi everyone;

I'll ask about the recycling facility tomorrow when I'm at work and see if I can get some specifics for you, or at least the name of the facility so we can do some further research.  It has been my understanding that the materials are re-purposed into a variety of products (mouse pads, playground equipment, etc.) but the rubber is not strictly recyclable in the same sense as glass or steel.  As far as setting up a time to drop stuff off to be recycled, we accept tubes and tires any time that we are open.  Currently we do not charge anything for the service but if it turned into a large scale donation (in the realm of 100-200lbs of rubber a month), then we might need to talk about some kind of compensation.  In the mean time, picking up a couple of tubes or a tire when dropping off the used rubber would go a long way to offset the cost of the recycling.
I'll be back tomorrow with some specifics.

Sam