14 Uses for Your Old Worn-Out Tires

The days of tire burning are a thing of the distant past. Besides throwing out your old tires into the garbage dump, you may think that there aren’t too many other solutions for them. But you’d be wrong! Sure, you could always turn one or two of them into a thrilling tire swing for the kiddos, but what about all the rest? I have a few clever ideas not only for preppers and gardeners but for anyone, really. These are several ideas of uses for your old worn-out tires. 

Uses for Your Old Worn-Out Tires

Maybe you have just been looking at your old worn-out tires for days, months, or years. Today is the time that you learn how to use those tires for other purposes. We’ve talked about 12 Ways to Reuse Broken Household Items and 16 Hacks for Repurposing Old Household Items, and now you’re going to turn yourself into a tire recycler and keep those old tires out of the landfills! Let’s find out how to repurpose old tires!

1. Plant Holder

One of the best uses that you can get out of an old tire is converting it into a planter or plant holder out in your backyard or garden. At least that’s my own humble opinion. You can choose to plant flowers, herbs, or vegetables in them. It’s also up to you whether you decorate or paint the tire, or just plop it on the ground and fill it with potting soil.

A hanging tire planter is another attractive idea worth considering. Learning about recycling old tires into plant holders will make you super happy! You can use scrap tires, whole tires, or if you want to upcycle tires for this project.  Top 10 Healing Plants to Grow

2. A Garden Trug

Looking for a creative way to repurpose tires? It’s very easy to make several garden baskets for your yard with just a few scrap pieces of tire. All you’ll need to do is add a handle to them so that they’ll be easier to carry. The material that’s used to make tires is extremely durable, so a little soil or water won’t be an issue. And that’s about all there is to it! If you’re really feeling creative in the garden, you can even make tire garden stairs. How to Garden With 5-Gallon Buckets

3. Hose Caddy

Don’t allow your garden hose to get into a tangled-up mess that requires more patience than what you can muster. Instead, create a garden hose caddy by simply cutting an old tire in half. The hose should wrap around it without any fuss. If you think about the overall size of our landfills, using tires for a hose caddy makes a whole lot of sense!

4. Stackable Indoor Storage

For those of you who consider yourselves preppers and are looking for affordable storage for your emergency supplies and goods, repurposing all of your old tires may be a good idea. All you’ll need is some wooden planks for shelving and tires to stack for spacing.

5. Cozy Tire Chair

They said that it couldn’t be done, but you can actually make an outdoor chair that’s comfortable using an old tire, a bit of sponge for cushioning, and also some fabric. You’re able to make the chair whatever size you want while using small tires if you’re planning on making chairs for your children.

6. Rope Ottoman

You might not believe me on this next one, but you can actually make beautiful rustic-style furniture for your living room while using an old tire. Besides a tire, you’ll need to cut out a round board that sits on top and then place rope all around the tire. The end result will amaze you! If you’re interested, here are the Instructions on how to get started.

7. Coffee Table

If you aren’t up for the idea of using rope for your living room furniture, why not use an old tire to make a coffee table? All you need to do is choose several pieces of wood and cut them into circles that fit the circumference of your tire and then attach them to one another. Add whatever decorative ideas that you can come up with to help make it more eye appealing. 15 Uses for Coffee Grounds

8. Dog Bed

Old tires can also make perfect pet beds. Not only are they sturdy, but they’re comfortable and can be customized depending on your dog’s size. And you don’t need to put too much effort into this project besides adding a bit of padding inside for your loveable pup to sleep on. Why Senior Citizens Need a Dog

9. Tire Ladder for Your Children’s Playground

I’ve seen this one done plenty of times and it turns out great every time! With just a few tires, rope, and 2x4s, you can build a tire ladder that’s suitable for children leading up to their treehouse or playground equipment. Just make sure you have enough tires to create an environment-friendly way for your kids to play! This is a great way and a great place for kids to get exercise and for you to help contribute less trash in the local landfills.

10. Sandbox

Looking for creative ways to use up old tires? For those of you with younger children, converting an old tire into a sandbox is something that they’ll certainly appreciate and have no problem spending hours playing in. Tractor tires work best, but if you don’t have them, you could always place 3 or 4 regular tires next to one another for a neat sandbox play area. 

11. Tire Obstacle Course

Your kids have a lot of energy to burn. If you have a ton of tires lying around, why not create a tire obstacle course that they can run or race through? You can even get the kids involved by having them help you paint them. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, but you’ll be creating memories for your children that they’ll never forget. You can think of the tire obstacle course to be like a jungle gym. If you have a tire climber in your family, then they are going to LOVE using car tires as an obstacle course. Tires are the perfect material to create steep slopes, so the kids have endless amounts of fun!

12. Tire Swing

I briefly mentioned a tire swing in the intro, but it’s a good one to remind you of. The best thing about this is that it’s so easy to do. All you need is a tire, some rope, and something heavy like sandbags or bricks to hold the rope in place. It’s your turn to have an old-fashioned tire swing, don’t worry because the family is going to LOVE it!

You can sit on your porch and watch the grandkids play on the tire swing, just like your kids did when they were little. I mean, you can create a whole swing set out of tire material if you’re really looking for a way to use up a bunch of old tires. A simple tire swing can change the way your kids play outdoors!  9 Necessary Survival Skills For Kids: It’s Never Too Young to Learn

13. Safety Barrier

Finally, let’s not forget about one of the most basic uses for old tires when it comes to prepping for emergencies…safety barriers. Tires are great at absorbing sound and providing protection against intruders and other types of emergencies. Especially if you ever find yourself in an emergency situation where you need to secure your family or property quickly when you’re on a budget. If you’re looking for DIY projects for old used worn-out tires, then a safety barrier is a really good place to start.  15 Steps To Prepare For A Disaster

14. Leave Your Old Tires at the Shop

Remember that tires aren’t single-use! Perhaps you no longer have the time or energy to repurpose your old tires with any of these projects when it’s time for you to get new tires. But don’t throw them out! Just leave them with the tire shop because they usually have the resources available to have the tires recycled properly.

If you don’t have the time or patience to deal with the tires in your life, then leave the rubber for the dealership to deal with! This is another way to deal with having fewer environmental problems because the tires go to a place where they can be recycled!

Final Word

Hopefully, these inventive ideas have given you something to think about. It’s always best to repurpose your waste materials instead of throwing them away, especially if they’re as versatile as tires! So take a look around your property and see if there are any chances for creative reuse before deciding what to do with those worn-out tires.

There are many benefits of tire recycling, so hopefully, these tips will inspire you to make some useful products out of those old worn-out tires sitting around your property. Whatever you do, don’t, don’t waste tires. You can always create new ways to use those tires. Whether it’s an old tire swing, creating an obstacle course, or repurposing old tires into planters, there is always something you can do to keep them out of landfills! May God Bless this world, Linda 

Copyright Images: Plants In Old Tires AdobeStock_556928112 By wasanajai, Swings Made From Tires AdobeStock_517236164 By Decha Anunthanapong/Wirestock Creators, Old Tires In Forest AdobeStock_357245239 By NataliaSavilova