Maryland drivers generate more than six million scrap tires annually. A majority of these tires are simply buried in landfills. The staff at the Maryland Environmental Service believes there is still value in these waste tires. The service
operates a tire recycling facility in Baltimore, Md., that is turning what was once considered garbage into a valuable commodity.

The service’s recycling plant can grind more than 8,000 tires per day and produces crumb rubber in sizes ranging from 5 to 40 mesh (.5 mm to 4 mm). Also produced is a 3/8” to 5/8” (9 mm to 15 mm) landscape grade material. The recycled rubber is then sold for a variety of applications including sports fields, playgrounds, horse arenas, road surfaces and the manufacture of automotive parts.

The service is an agency of the State of Maryland. Its employees operate and manage water and wastewater treatment systems, recycling centers, solid and hazardous wastes projects and the state’s environmental dredging facilities. The service’s client base includes state, county and municipal governments, and
private sector companies.