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California has a significant waste tire challenge. As the most populated state of the nation,Californians generated approximately 33.3 million reusable and waste tires in 2001 (WasteTire Management Program: 2001 Staff Report, California Integrated Waste ManagementBoard, May 2003, Publication #620-03-003). Although nearly 75 percent of these tires werediverted from landfills for alternative uses, millions of waste tires continue to be legally andillegally dumped and stockpiled. The dump sites and stockpiles then pose significant publichealth and environmental problems. These dump sites and stockpiles are known habitats formosquitoes, rats, and other vectors. With the discovery of the West Nile virus in Sacramento,California, the elimination of mosquito habitats becomes even more pressing.

To address Californias growing number of discarded tires and waste-tire managementchallenges, the Legislature enacted the California Tire Recycling Act of 1989. This lawauthorized the creation of the Tire Recycling Program and the California Tire RecyclingManagement Fund, and it levied a $.25 per tire surcharge on the purchase of new tires. In2000, SB 876 (Escutia, Chapter 838, Statutes of 2000), broadened the regulatory,administrative, and funding actions of the Tire Recycling Act. Under SB 876, the tire feeincreased to $1 per tire.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) uses these funds to helpmanage Californias waste tires. In addition, PRC section 42885.5 requires that CIWMBsubmit a five-year plan to the Legislature. (For more details and an expanded legislativehistory, please seeFive-Year Plan for the Waste Tire Recycling Management Program, 2003,CIWMB Publication #620-03-007.)

As part of the five-year plan, the CIWMB dedicated funding for the development of amarketing communications campaign to educate Californians about the waste-tire challengethe State faces; to inform consumers about proper tire maintenance, recycling, and disposal;and to educate Californians about the products derived from California waste tires.

As an initial step in this marketing effort, CIWMB has contracted with California StateUniversity, Chico, and IMC Productions to conduct research on consumers tire-purchasedecision processes and behaviors and their general knowledge about tires, tire maintenance,recycling and disposal. This research effort involves multiple steps including a literaturereview, interviews with experts who work in the field, multilingual focus groups withconsumers, and finally, a multilingual telephone survey of California residents.

The research has three primary objectives. The first objective is to understand Californiaresidents tire purchase behaviors and their awareness and knowledge of tire maintenance,recycling, and disposal issues. In addition, the research will provide information that will beused in a forthcoming marketing communications effort. Finally, the research will act as abaseline measure that can be used as a benchmark to assess the effectiveness of the marketingcommunications campaign.

The initial piece of the research project involves a literature review. This literature reviewinvestigates prior research and publications that relate to consumers knowledge of tires, their

purchase decision processes and behaviors, and what they may know about tire maintenance,recycling, and disposal. The objectives of the literature review are to provide knowledge tothe research team, to uncover topics and issues that should be addressed in the next steps ofthe research project (for example, focus groups and survey), to aid in the development of asound survey instrument, and to provide information that may be used in the forthcomingmarketing communications efforts.

The literature review includes an extensive search for information using electronic databases(for example, ABI/INFORM, PsycINFO, Factiva, Lexis/Nexis) and Internet search engines(for example, Google.com, Dogpile.com, Alltheweb.com, Altavista.com). The search

included an in-depth investigation of specific Web sites (for example, the RubberManufacturers Association, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the CIWMB),

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and direct contact with experts who work in the field. The literature review is divided intosections that address consumers general tire-buying habits and knowledge about proper tiremaintenance and safety, followed by a section on tire recycling and disposal, the hazards andenvironmental concerns that discarded tires present, and then a final section on tire-relatedmarketing communication campaigns.

The findings indicate that we know very little about consumers tire-buying habits and theirknowledge of tire maintenance and safety. Only a few large-scale public efforts have been putforth to understand how consumers go about deciding what tires to buy, and perhaps nosystematic, scientific research has been conducted that focuses on what consumers knowabout tire recycling and disposal. Only a few studies available to the public have addressedconsumers knowledge about proper tire maintenance and safety. These studies haveindicated that consumers know little about the proper maintenance of their tires and how thismay affect their performance, safety, and life span.

According to an American Automobile Association (AAA) study, motorists do not appear toknow where to get information on the recommended air pressure for their vehicles tires.Forty-eight percent incorrectly consulted the tires sidewall. And, 48 percent of the

respondents were not checking the air pressure of their tires at the recommended frequency ofat least once per month (Tire Safety Survey, 1999). Furthermore, a National Highway TrafficSafety Administration (NHTSA) study found that 33 percent of passenger cars and lighttrucks/sport utility vehicles (SUV) have at least one significantly under-inflated tire. Ninepercent reported having a bald tire (Thiriez and Subramanian, 2001:Tire Pressure Survey andTest Results).

The results of this literature review did not reveal any research regarding consumersattitudes, perceptions, and knowledge toward tire recycling and disposal. In addition, noreliable information could be found to suggest that residents know about the waste tirechallenges in California and the nation. Nor do residents seem to know about the publichealth and environmental issues associated with discarded tires. Furthermore, no reliable

information could be found to suggest that residents know of, or understand, the $1 fee beinglevied on new tire purchases, or the role that CIWMB plays in managing Californias waste.

Finally, the literature review investigated tire-related communications campaigns. Nearly allthe significant campaigns are attempts to educate consumers about proper tire maintenanceand safety. Although these campaigns are not intended to educate consumers about thenations waste tire challenges, convincing consumers to take better care of their tires will leadto longer tire life, and thus fewer discarded tires.

Overall, the literature review clearly demonstrates the need for additional research in thisarea. In addition, the literature review has unearthed information that will facilitate thesystematic development of focus group and survey questions. It will also provide guidance forthe development of the marketing communications campaign.