As a company with a strong focus on sustainability, Pirelli is acutely aware of the need for an exploding planetary population to dispose of its trash in a way that does not harm our planet and future generations. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a recycling story that has been an enormous success from so many points of view, not least, as a story of teamwork. This story could not have been possible without America’s tire dealers.
In many parts of the world, laws on product stewardship require tire manufacturers to take responsibility for tire collection, disposal and recycling or repurposing. In the U.S., regulations vary from state to state – but all stakeholders have stepped forward over the last 25 years to contribute to free market solutions to the dual problem of clearing tire stockpiles and disposing of scrap tires on a continuous basis.
Since 1990, the number of stockpiled tires in the U.S. has been reduced by 92%. And scrap tires today are systematically collected by tire retailers, picked up by collectors, carted to processors, and then funneled to end-use markets. In 2013, 96% of discarded tires were repurposed, according to a report by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA).
Fifty-six percent of scrap tires are converted to tire-derived fuel, an industry that has grown significantly with the blessing of the Environmental Protection Agency, which classifies scrap tires as fuel rather than waste. A further 25% are repurposed for ground rubber applications, including rubberized asphalt, artificial turf fields and playground surfaces. Rubberized asphalt is a particularly interesting end use, given the qualities scrap tires can bring to asphalt: elasticity, noise control, and better drainage.
Five percent of scrap tires are used in civil engineering applications, and there are plenty of other creative uses, from tire swings to arts and crafts projects.
The numbers point to an incredible success story, especially given that scrap tires cannot be un-vulcanized and recycled into a raw material for new tires, as in other industries such as paper, plastic or aluminum. Other industries have not achieved nearly the success rate of the tire industry, and can look to the tire story as a model for best practice market development for recycling.
With hard work from the many stakeholders, including retailers, manufacturers, states, regulators, recyclers, and end users, the infrastructure for a healthy market for scrap tires has been put in place. For the future, the goal will be for scrap tires to become a hot commodity, a raw material end-users are ready to pay handsomely for. This will benefit everyone in the value chain: consumers, retailers, collectors and processors.
What is needed to get there? Further research needs to be done to develop new applications and to overcome obstacles blocking the growth of markets such as rubberized asphalt. And the process that has worked so well thus far, mainly dialog and collaboration among stakeholders, must be continued. Innovative ideas should be encouraged, states should continue to incentivize market development, and those collecting scrap tires should work closely with recycling entrepreneurs.
In 25 years, we have come a long way together. It is our duty to thank those that have made this possible.
