I read somewhere that 20 million tyres are scrapped each year in the UK.
They are a problem.
Would it be a good idea to thread (as it were) 10 or so old tyres onto all the lamp posts on our streets and roads especially where they are in dangerous positions for cars which leave the road ?
I ask because my lad has just come within a whisker of having his leg amputated after the driver wrapped a car round a post in the centre of a dual carriageway on the exit of a roundabout.
Just a thought.
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One of the problems with lamp posts is that they are often positioned on the kerb edge, whereas if they are placed at the back of the pavement with a slightly longer arm, there is much less likelyhood of a vehicle colliding with them if it leaves the road for any reason.
Some dangers are designed into the road system when they could be eliminated with a little forethought.
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See my post on safety by design in the archived Backroom.
Lamp standards on the outside of bends is my pet bete noire!
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=10...3
pmh (was peter)
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I read somewhere there was a craze for piling used tyres around speed cameras then igniting them, resulting in fried camera mechanism.
What a waste of tyres eh?
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"What a waste of tyres eh?"
You think so?
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Would this post not be better suited to the discussion forum?
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In the USA they rip the steel out of old tyres, shred up the rubber mix it with bitumin and surface the roads with it. Gives a superb grip I believe.
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Out in Spain Marbella one of the newer golf cousres is built on top of tree layers of tyres all filled with soil/sand mix to retain water at all times. This Idea originated in the states and apparently is very successful but alas it is not going to eat up all those tyres. There are a couple of Power stations in the US burning streaded tryes and using high tech heat exchanges and fume washers to clean the released gases. Peter
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Oh no, Recycling, saving the planet, environment friendly ideas, I can feel a government taxing opportunity:-)
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There is a cement factory on the outskirts of Westbury, Wiltshire that use old tyres as a form of furnace fuel. Judging by the comments from the local eco warriors one would think they were burning babies for fun. So far the according to the local authorities, there are no pollution problems.
One point, is the matter of where does all the worn tyre rubber go when it is lost from the tyre onto the road surface. As we use x millions of tyres per year it must go somewhere. Into the drains I suppose.
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In the USA they rip the steel out of old tyres, shred up the rubber
They also liberally sprinkle the shreaded rubber (without the bitumen) on horse gallops so the horses have a softer surface to run on.
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Tony
Well, something will need to be done. Already we pay about 50p/tyre diposal cost. most go to landfill, but in a couple of years it will be illegal to dispose of even shredded tyres into landfill under EC legislation, so I doubt it will get cheaper.
I am sorry to hear about your son's accident and have very sympathy with your suggestion, but I don't think tyres are the answer. Relocated and redesigned lampstandards are the ways forward.
Other contributors have indicated potential disposal options. There is a large tyre combustion facility in the Midlands, which recovers energy from the 'rubber', steel from the reinforcement and various chemicals from the flue gases. I believe this has some technical problems, but I'm sure the loss of the landfill option will promote this and other innovative ways of disposal.
Regards
John S
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Various options are being considered for the disposal of old tyres. They are being trialed for use in road surfaces, and are currently being used in surfacing for playgrounds after being granulated. This provides a sort of bouncy surface for children who come off the swings a bit too hard.
There was also a study looking at using the steel from tyres in construction (reinforcing concrete).
The DTI has a consultation paper out (yesterday) which looks at the various options.
Otherwise why don't they dump them at sea and call them a "reef"
Jonathan
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I visited a factory in the Midlands (near Uttoxeter area) which ground up tyres and used the rubber as the raw material for the rubber backing of carpets.
Burning rubber is potentially envirnomentally unfriendly . If this country was serious about the environment and saving fuel , we could recycle the rubber to form a very efficient form of heat insulation after treating with a fire retardant. But I suggest that is uneconomic. And we all know new houses are built with signle glazing so that shows how serious we are:-(
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madf
I'm glad you said 'potentially' environmentally unfriendly. Given the standards required by the Waste Combustion Directive and the controls of the Environment Agency, then I'd say that energy recovery by combustion is not environmentally unfriendly.
If you think houses are built with single glazing, it's a while since you checked the Building Regulations.
Regards
John S
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Building regs document L states that all new houses (and most replacement windows) must be build with 'k' glass. There is a minimum insulation factor. New houses and extensions must also be insulated to new standards as well.
www.safety.odpm.gov.uk/bregs/brad12.htm
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