Recycling Tires (and tubes)

With Earth day around the corner people are starting to think about recycling. Someone asked me what to do with recycled tires - Montgomery County told him to throw them away. Does anyone know of a local program to do something other than trash them (same goes for tubes)? The best I could find was this - where you have to mail them and pay for it. What do bike shops do with their old tires.

Here's how Chicago does it.

And Germany.

Shops that recycle according to commenters

City Bikes claims they do it.

Conte's in Arlington

Capitol Hill Bikes takes tubes to recycle

Comments

[darren]

Specialized has a tire/tube recycling program, we're getting the dropoff bins set up in our stores pretty soon (City Bikes).

Conte's in Arlington accepts tires/tubes to recycle.

[tsvidogg]

Here are some alternatives to recycling your bike tubes: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=bike+tube

Someone even made a "Vegan Flogging Whip" out of old bike tubes! Any they say vegans are cruelty-free...

[Moose]

Capitol Hill Bikes takes tubes to recycle (dunno about tires, haven't had to get rid of one yet).

[Steven Vance]

It's not really how Chicago's "doing it," but it's a start. I manage the webpage that you linked to. I setup the unofficial arrangement with the auto tire recycling company. The second option was brought to my attention last week. I'm not being paid to figure out how to actually "save the environment" with bikes (aside from not driving), but I was interested and working where I work gave me the opportunity to post the information. Thankfully, permission was granted. Hopefully, in the near future, I or someone else in the bike program will be able to continue and further the work.