Touring Liberty Tire Recycling
Touring Liberty Tire Recycling: Where Old Tires Become Florida’s Green Future
***Please note: Everything in BOLD are facts given from Liberty Tire Recycling’s Port St. Lucie facility***
We stepped into Liberty Tire Recycling’s Port St. Lucie facility, and giant stacks of discarded tires created large black mountains, but instead of doom scrolling through landfill guilt, we had the opportunity to see that this is where Florida’s worn-out tires transform into things like: playgrounds, sports fields, and sustainable innovation.
We began at the shredding line. A conveyor belt the size of a school bus devours whole tires, sending them into an industrial shredder. (Things can get pretty loud) Sparks flew as the shredder met steel wires hidden inside the rubber as it was stripped away—13,825 tons of steel wire annually, to be exact. That’s 27.65 million pounds of material! So what is it used for? All of that steel will be destined for bridges, machinery, and construction sites.
Next, the shredded rubber falls into a series of grinders, vibrating screens, and magnets. What emerges is crumb rubber. (tiny, springy granules that feel like kinetic sand.) This is the material behind sports fields and rubber
products—31,305 tons of it yearly (62.6 million pounds). Imagine six NFL stadiums’ worth of turf, all born
from tires that once rolled on Florida highways. Nearby, bags of crumb rubber wait to ship out, labeled for everything from sneaker soles to industrial mats.
Around the corner, rubber mulch piles bake under the Florida sun. 14,076 tons (28.1 million pounds) of this stuff will cushion playgrounds, line hiking trails, and beautify gardens.
There seemed to be no sign of waste in sight! In one corner, fibers and casings—14,995 tons (29.99 million pounds)—are baled for use in roofing, insulation, and even carpet backing. Nearby, 1,376 tons of tire-derived fuel (2.75 million pounds) await shipment to power cement kilns and paper mills. “Even the dust is captured,” a technician notes, pointing to air filtration systems. 
Back outside, the big picture hits you. Those initial tire mountains? They’re just today’s intake. Over a year, this facility processes 75,824 tons of rubber—151.6 million pounds, or over 6 million tires—diverted from landfills. Stacked vertically, that’s enough tires to reach the International Space Station… twice. Like …WHAT?!
Those 6 million tires could’ve leached chemicals into Florida’s aquifers or fueled wildfire risks. Instead, they’re soccer fields where kids score goals, mulch that keeps parks lush, and steel that fortifies our infrastructure. Liberty’s work isn’t just recycling—it’s reimagining waste as a renewable resource.
Florida generates 20 million scrap tires annually, but facilities like this prove solutions exist. You can help:
- Recycle tires responsibly.
- Choose products made with recycled rubber.
- Advocate for green infrastructure.
Next time you see a playground or jog on a turf field, remember—it might’ve started here, in Port St. Lucie, where old tires don’t die. They evolve.
Touring the Liberty Tire Recycling Facility was a blast! Thank you for having us!
Learn more about their impact.