Most rubber recycling happens through tire-specific programs, but you can also recycle footwear, rubber mats, hoses, and belts through the right channels. Tires make up the vast majority of rubber waste, and nearly every state has infrastructure to handle them. For other rubber items, your options depend on what you’re recycling and where you live.
Tires Are the Easiest Rubber to Recycle
Tires account for roughly half of all rubber products manufactured, and they’re the item most recycling programs are set up to handle. When you buy new tires, the retailer will almost always take your old ones. Most shops charge a small disposal or recycling fee, typically $2 to $5 per tire, which covers transport to a processing facility. This is the simplest route for most people, since you’re already at the shop during a tire change.
If you have old tires sitting in a garage or yard, check with your municipal waste department first. Many cities and counties run periodic tire collection events, especially in spring and summer. Some accept tires at their permanent drop-off facilities year-round. You can search for nearby options by entering your zip code at Earth911.com or calling 1-800-CLEANUP, which connects you to local recycling resources.
A few things to know: most programs accept passenger car and light truck tires without rims. Tires still on rims, oversized commercial tires, or tires in very large quantities may need to go through a dedicated waste tire hauler. Your state’s environmental agency typically maintains a list of licensed haulers.
Where to Recycle Non-Tire Rubber
Rubber hoses, belts, mats, and similar household items are harder to recycle than tires because curbside programs almost never accept them. Your best bet is to contact your local solid waste facility and ask whether they have a rubber drop-off category. Some transfer stations accept mixed rubber alongside tires.
For larger quantities of industrial rubber, such as conveyor belts, gaskets, or pipe insulation, specialized rubber recyclers will often pick up materials directly. These companies grind the rubber down for resale. A quick search for “rubber recycling” plus your city or state will usually turn up regional processors. Many operate on a commercial scale but will accept smaller loads if you can deliver them.
Rubber-backed floor mats and yoga mats are a gray area. A few manufacturers run take-back programs, but most of these items end up in landfill if you can’t find a local recycler. Check with the manufacturer first, since some will provide a prepaid shipping label.
Recycling Rubber Footwear
Athletic shoes with rubber soles can be recycled through Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, available at most Nike retail stores in the United States. The program accepts worn Nike athletic footwear (no sandals, dress shoes, boots, or anything with metal components like cleats). The rubber is ground into a material called Nike Grind, which gets used in athletic surfaces, playground padding, and gym flooring.
Select Nike stores are also piloting a broader program that accepts both Nike footwear and apparel for recycling or donation. Participating locations include stores in Atlanta, Beaverton (Oregon), Nashville, the Bronx, Fairfax (Virginia), Chandler (Arizona), and several others. Call your nearest Nike store to confirm they’re currently accepting drop-offs.
Outside of Nike, some running specialty shops partner with organizations that collect used athletic shoes. Brands like Adidas and New Balance have experimented with take-back initiatives, though availability varies by region and year. Goodwill and similar donation centers will accept shoes that still have life in them, which keeps rubber out of the waste stream even if it’s not technically recycling.
What Happens to Recycled Rubber
Understanding where your rubber goes can help you feel confident it’s not just being dumped. Recycled tires are processed through either ambient grinding (at room temperature) or cryogenic grinding (frozen with liquid nitrogen to make the rubber brittle and easier to shatter). Both methods produce crumb rubber, a granular material sized from coarse chips down to fine powder.
The single largest market for this material is road paving. Rubberized asphalt consumes an estimated 220 million pounds of ground rubber annually, the equivalent of about 12 million tires. The rubber gets blended into asphalt binder or used as an aggregate substitute, producing roads that are quieter and more flexible in extreme temperatures.
Beyond roads, crumb rubber shows up in a wide range of products: playground surfacing, synthetic turf infill, carpet underlay, dock bumpers, livestock mats, railroad crossing blocks, rubber tiles and bricks, horse arena flooring, and even brake pads. Some ground rubber goes back into manufacturing new tires. The market for recycled rubber products has grown steadily as states have banned tire stockpiling and created incentives for reuse.
Safety of Recycled Rubber Products
If you’re considering recycled rubber mulch for a playground or garden, safety is worth thinking about. Rubber mulch made from recycled tires is recognized as appropriate playground surfacing under ASTM F1292, the voluntary standard for cushioning falls and preventing serious head injuries. It does a good job absorbing impact, which is why it’s popular at playgrounds and athletic facilities.
The chemical side is more nuanced. Tires contain metals like zinc and lead, volatile organic compounds, and other substances that can leach in small amounts. Studies conducted by California and New York found that chemical exposure from crumb rubber is likely small and unlikely to increase health risk. However, public concern has prompted additional research, and some experts have urged caution until more data is available, particularly for synthetic turf fields where children spend extended time in close contact with the material.
If you’re buying rubber mulch for a play area, look for products specifically tested to ASTM F1292 for impact safety and ASTM F1951 for wheelchair accessibility. Ask the manufacturer for toxicity test data and minimum fill-depth requirements. For garden use where rubber contacts soil and food plants, many gardeners prefer to stick with wood mulch to avoid any question of chemical leaching.
How to Find a Recycler Near You
Start with Earth911’s recycling search tool at search.earth911.com. Enter “rubber” or “tires” along with your zip code to see nearby drop-off locations. Your city or county waste management website is another reliable source, especially for tire collection events and permanent drop-off sites.
For bulk or commercial rubber waste, contact your state’s environmental or waste management agency. Most states regulate waste tire haulers and maintain searchable databases of licensed facilities. If you’re in a rural area without convenient options, some tire recyclers will arrange pickup for a fee once you’ve accumulated enough volume, typically 50 or more passenger tires.
For footwear, check directly with brand retail stores. For specialty rubber items like wetsuits, bike inner tubes, or silicone products, niche recyclers exist but you may need to ship materials. Organizations like TerraCycle run mail-in programs for specific rubber products, though some require purchasing a prepaid waste box.