Recycling old tyres for a green cause

A tree guard made from worn-out bicycle tyres provides protection to saplings on the Velachery by-pass road.
B. Jaya Pandian, owner of a bicycle shop in Velachery, found a useful way to recycle worn out tyres. He has made tree guards using the tyres to protect saplings.
"As a cycle shop owner, I realised that the tyres could be put to better use once they were rejected. So, with the help of a few of my friends, I designed a tree guard using them," he said. He realised that the tyre tree guard provides better protection to saplings than the guards made of iron that were usually put up.
Mr. Pandian says that the tyre tree guard dissuades even people from touching the saplings. In many places even saplings provided with an iron tree guard get stolen and are exposed to vandalism. The tyre guards also allow adequate sunlight and shade. Mr. Pandian and his group of friends have set up the guards around 100 saplings, all of which are doing well. He has planted most of the saplings in Velachery, Saidapet and Peravallur, he says.
A tree guard is made using 18 old tyres tied to three casuarina polls. Mr. Pandian says that he had no problem collecting the used and old tyres. All he had to do was spend Rs.90 on buying the casuarinas poles. He said he collected most of the tyres from bicycle shops owned by his friends. Tree lovers and environmentalists can think of similar recycling ideas, which will help put non bio-degradable materials such as tyres to better use.