The disposal of scrap tires is a potentially very dangerous issue. Each year millions of tires are tossed onto stockpiles, where they collect rainwater and become a haven for mosquitoes, rodents, and other vermin. Apart from the threat to public health, these abandoned tire heaps are dangerously flammable. The tires, which are made from petroleum compounds, can burn for weeks, generating a thick smoke and impeding firefighters. Even after being put out, the tires may smolder for months, possibly re-igniting at any time.

There are other tire disposal methods aside from stockpiles. Landfills is a very common solution, however Pennsylvania is quickly running out of landfill space. And even if this weren't so, landfill holds several environmental dangers. Other methods of disposal include incineration, as well as the use of waste tires as filler material in asphalt road surfaces. Neither of these methods, however, is economically efficient.

At Henise Tires we recognize the potential harm of tire disposal. That is why we utilize the Cement Kiln and Resource Recovery Method. At the Whitehall plant of Lafarge Corporation, three kilns produce about 2,760 standard tons of cement clinker daily, which when finely ground becomes portland cement, the basic ingredient of concrete. Raw materials, primarily limestone, are early in the process combined with the scrap tire. As the materials move through the kilns, they are heated to extremely high temperatures by burning fossil fuels, such as coal. Ninety-nine percent of gas emissions from this process are common gasses such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor. Kiln dust, or partially processed raw material, re-enters the process with fresh raw materials. The fully processed remains are captured as clinker and later used. In this fashion, tires are disposed efficiently and economically without contributing to pollutants in the air.