Jessica Bacon
Tire recycling was not as prevalent in the past as it is now; throughout the 60s and 70s, the US had a big problem with tires overfilling landfills and polluting the environment. In the 70s, a nonprofit organization set off to use these tires to expand the artificial reef off the coast of Florida. They believed that these tires would encourage new coral growth, improve local biodiversity by attracting more types of fish, and therefore benefit the economy. This effort garnered lots of support, and thousands of tire bundles were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite the benevolent nature of this project, it was ultimately a failure. As the saltwater began corroding the restraints that held the tires together, they began to separate and migrate through the seafloor due to currents and waves, crashing into struggling reefs that already struggle to survive, polluting other ecosystems, and threatening coastal development.
The remnants of this failed project are detrimental to the health of the ocean. With corals already facing innumerable amount of threats, such as pollution, sedimentation, and climate change, which causes higher temperatures and leads to ocean acidification, as well as the unsustainable fishing practices of industries, corals cannot afford to be in any more harm. Unfortunately, the clean-up process for these tires is difficult, expensive, and incredibly resource-consuming. The most challenging part about this is that many of the tires from the failed project have traveled far from the starting location, making it challenging to locate and clear.
Jessica Bacon