AIRDRIE, Alta. – Paul Steffanson, a semi-retired farmer from High Level, Alta., has figured out a new use for old tires.
He proposes turning them into fences, corrals, barricades, wildlife barriers or dikes. He has patented the design concept and is looking for a partner to help take his hobby to the business development stage.
“I think this is the most efficient way to recycle tires,” he said.
Steffanson was in hospital recovering from surgery in 1995 when he saw a television news report that the City of Edmonton was having a dispute over tire disposal.
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In Alberta, there is a $4 charge included with each tire purchase to offset the cost of recycling. Edmonton did not want to pay tipping fees at its landfill since these tires already had been paid for under the recycling program.
Steffanson investigated and found used tires are a problem. They pile up until someone throws them out or finds some other use for them.
He started experimenting and came up with several fence designs to use the whole tire without further manufacturing. The tires don’t have to be perfect and will outlast most other fencing material, said Steffanson.
In addition, tires have a smell that repels wildlife so they aren’t likely to become dens for predators, rodents or birds.
In one of his designs, tires are placed upright in a shallow trench and set side by side. They are then braced at each end to make a fence. A board can be nailed across the top to provide more stability and give the row a finished look.
Another style involves stacking tires on their sides like bricks.
A third structure stacks the tires on their sides in three diagonal rows. Posts are placed in the holes and lashed together for extra strength. Ultimately grass, bushes and trees can grow up around the tires. The barrier remains behind the vegetation. The tires can be stacked 2.5 metres high and filled with earth, sand or gravel for stability.
Steffanson calculates a three-metre high and one kilometre-long barrier would reuse about 20,000 tires. A fence made of car tires stacked side by side for 1.5 km requires about 10,000 tires.
Steffanson suggested farmers or local governments interested in tire fences can make arrangements with local collection stations, landfills or tire dealers to pick up as many tires as they need.
