Tires get tired, then we refresh them. But someone wants to kill them for good.

Old tires. What can you do? A landfill is no place for an old, bald, retread. Upcycled, reused tires last many more years beyond their original lifespan and intent. Spent tires are used for planters, retaining walls, chipped into tiny pieces for blending into ground cover asphalt, and many other applications.

We simply paint them bright colors and put them to innovative use at our lakeside kayak and paddleboard rental shop in southern Utah.

Our painted tires do the following:

• They stay out of landfills.
• Protect guests' boards and kayaks, keeping them off of the ground and from being destroyed by rough pavement, concrete, and/or gravel.
  They also guard against heat damage; in summer months, our asphalt can reach over 160°F/71°C. That is hot enough to put you in the hospital! It can irreparably damage inflatable kayaks or boards.
• Hold down shade canopies when high wind conditions are threatening or present, which is almost daily. We also weigh down paddleboards and water mats with tires to keep them on the ground (usually on top of other tires) while we work to store the gear safely as storms approach.
• Give us an opportunity to conduct paddling simulations without having to be in the water (we stack boards or kayaks on the tires, then get on board).
• Inspire others to reconsider what they throw away, why they throw it away, and ask themselves if those items could be put to creative use.

There is at least ONE person out there who is complaining - with frequency - to our county water district that our tires are somehow inappropriate to have on-site. The water district is likely to ask us to remove the tires from the property unless we can show that people appreciate what we are doing. Hopefully that one shrill voice will quiet down, they'll find a productive hobby, and the water district will continue to allow us to use tires to protect equipment, teach skills, and protect people from wind storms.