Waste Tire Revalorization

Tire walls built in Los Laureles Canyon by Alter Terra serve as retaining walls, stadium seating for soccer field and water storage devices.

Discarded waste tires are salvaged from sub-basin dump sites and are processed as “mats” to build retaining walls that harvest water. The side walls are attached at the back of the “mat” to function as anchors. Impermeable sells are created from shaping the discarded tires into “figure 8” shapes. Silt, that used on its own would be considered unstable, is confined by the tire cells as fill. Exposed pockets of earth at the front of the wall are utilized as “planters” for native plants. Each level of the retaining wall is topped-off with a layer of pervious paving which allows rain water to permeate the wall during storm events. The wall retains enough water throughout the rest of the year to feed the plants. Tire walls not only store waste tires and harvest water, but also prevent erosion, control sediment flows, and create healthy new topsoil. See design details: Tires_Presentation