What should we do with the almost 30 million waste tires generated annually by Californians? The answer is simple: reuse them.

Reusing tires is an area where being an environmentally responsible citizen can be fun. Do you want a bird feeder, a swing or even a retaining wall in your yard? Tires are the answer.

Given the consequences associated with not reusing tires, more and more Californians are finding creative ways to reuse a resource that we all utilize. After all, each citizen disposes, on average, about one tire per year.

Though many think of tires as being black, dirty items, and possibly even toxic, when scrubbed and cleaned properly, tires pose no direct threat to soils or to you.

There are two different types of tires and each type is suited for different reuses. Most new tires are steel-belted radials, which are better for basic planters, super intensive gardening structures and retaining walls. Bias-ply tires, on the other hand, do not have steel belts and are essential for projects that require cutting through the tread. These tires are great for projects like bird feeders, lawn and gardening edging, stepping stone forms or swings. You can find bias tires in vacant lots and junk yards, as well as old tire stockpiles.

Of the 29 million tires generated last year, about 18 million were reused, retreaded, recycled or combusted. Those numbers translate to a 62-percent diversion away from the state's crowded landfills. Since 1990, when a law establishing the state's tire reuse program went into effect, the state has increased its rate of recycling and other uses by 28 percent.

These numbers may sound impressive, but tires are among the California Integrated Waste Management Board's (CIWMB) top concerns because of fire and disease hazards associated with stockpiled tires. The CIWMB, therefore, provides grant funding through a competitive program established by the CIWMB every year to find new uses for tires. Past recipients have been individuals, small businesses and nonprofit groups.

Try to take responsibility for your own tires. Here's one quick example of how to use tires to reduce green wastes, another problematic portion of California's diverse waste stream.

Tires can make excellent composters. Get eight firm tires, all the same size. Four will be used for actual composting, the other four for storage. The larger the tire, the more compost they will hold.

Make the center hole of both sides of the tire wider, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border of tire. (Any sabre, jig or reciprocating saw that will accept a universal 1/4-inch shank blade will work; an orbital jigsaw works best.) Be careful when working with tires as balance weights on many tires are made of lead, and these are toxic, so they need to be removed, and worn steel-belted radials have sharp wires that could injure you.

Choose an area convenient to water, near your garden, and preferably in the sun. Make two stacks of four tires each. When you want to mix and aerate, pull the top tire filled with compost toward you, dumping contents on the ground. Then place this first unit in the new location. Fork the contents into the first unit. Then, pull the second unit off and dump its contents. Continue this sequence until all units are moved to the new location.