Why Are Old Tires Causing A Problem In The Sea Off New Jersey In The USA?

Lots of old tires were bound together and put into the sea deliberately several years ago to act as 'artificial' coral reefs. The idea was to use a waste product and put it to some good environmental use by providing an anchoring point for marine life. Unfortunately, the plan backfired because they system was not tested thoroughly enough before it was done on a large scale.

As many as 2 million old tires, belted together with steel are now on the ocean floor, needed to be removed. Little sea life has formed on the tires. Some of the tires that were bundled together with nylon and steel have broken loose and are scouring the ocean floor over a huge area, causing destruction. Tires are washing up on beaches. Thousands have wedged up against a nearby natural reef, blocking coral growth and devastating marine life.

About 2 million US dollars now needs to be spent taking up the tires – they will be ground up and melted to resurface roads.

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