Junk tires lie abandoned in farm fields across the state, presenting serious environmental and health concerns.Credit Emily Rowlands
What happens to old car tires? Pennsylvania has recycled nearly 26 million of them in the last eight years, but there are millions more to go. Penn State's Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies is helping to lighten the load. With a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Center, under the direction of Kevin Abbey, is baling old waste tires to use as fill for rural roads across the Commonwealth.
Learn how roads are made of rubber, improving environmental conditions and decreasing maintenance costs.
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Kevin Abbey, M.A., is director of the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies. He can be reached at kca1@psu.edu. Dave Shearer is field operations specialist for the Center and research technician for the Penn State Institutes of the Environment. He can be reached at drs32@psu.edu.