LANSING, Mich. (WSYM) -- What happens when you get new tires and throw away your old ones? They end up in landfills and end up in piles that can be fire hazards. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is trying to prevent that from happening with a $2.9 million grant.
"The goal is to not only be sustainable in using the tires up and getting them out of the environment, but also hopefully the rubber will make the roads last longer by giving them longevity against the freeze thaw cycles in Michigan," Aaron Hiday said. Aaron is an environmental quality analyst for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
The money will go toward research at Michigan State University and other road projects in Michigan to see how well the material works.
The recycled scrap tires can be used in asphalt for roads.
"The rubber is flexible and allows the road to be flexible, and the rigidity of a road is what causes it to crack as heavy traffic or a lot of traffic moves over it or lots of traffic frequently," he added.
