Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • COVID takes dealers for roller-coaster ride
      A year later, pandemic's full tire industry impact unclear
      Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled until 2022
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
    • DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
      Icahn Auto trims fiscal 2020 operating loss despite 14% lower sales
      Oshkosh unit gets contract for new USPS local delivery vehicle
      Sumitomo adds treadwear-detection to 'Sensor Core' toolkit
    • F1 extends Pirelli's supply contract through 2024
      Titan eyes solid recovery in 2021 as ag sector rebounds
      4 Wheel Parts celebrates 60th anniversary with deals, promotions
      CarAdvise partnering with RepairSmith mobile repair services
    • Goodyear joins connected mobility pilot program in Ohio
      Michelin launches high-scrub, weight-sensitive X One Multi T trailer tire
      TRAC Intermodal redirects retread biz 100% in-house
      Giti rolling out range of GT Radial-brand urban/regional truck tires
    • USTMA joins coalition supporting passage of Equality Act
      McMahon's Best-One increases its minimum wage to $15
      Oshkosh unit gets contract for new USPS local delivery vehicle
      Conti recalling 94,000 Conti-, General-, Barum-brand LT/SUV tires
    • F1 extends Pirelli's supply contract through 2024
      Maxam adding multipurpose radial, solid OTR tires
      Goodyear names Patterson to lead Cooper integration efforts
      DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
    • F1 extends Pirelli's supply contract through 2024
      DTM switches horses mid-stream; awards race tire contract to Michelin
      Bridgestone World Solar Challenge canceled due to pandemic restrictions
      Pirelli, Goodyear ink sedan racing series contracts in Canada, Europe
    • Snap-on debuts Triton-D10 diagnostic tool with scan, lab scope capabilities
      Maxam adding multipurpose radial, solid OTR tires
      Michelin launches high-scrub, weight-sensitive X One Multi T trailer tire
      Giti rolling out range of GT Radial-brand urban/regional truck tires
    • COVID takes dealers for roller-coaster ride
      Investment groups to acquire Mavis Tire network
      Vogue Tyre offers $75 rebate on set of 4 tires during March
      4 Wheel Parts celebrates 60th anniversary with deals, promotions
    • Snap-on debuts Triton-D10 diagnostic tool with scan, lab scope capabilities
      Pennzoil offering carbon-neutral lubricants for passenger cars
      Washington dealership uses new-school solution for recruiting auto techs
      Marinucci: Customers may ignore dangerous conditions
    • TIA seeking nominations for Tire Industry Hall of Fame
      SEMA survey shows resilient auto aftermarket in 2020
      SEMA scholarships and loan forgiveness now available
      WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
    • SEMA survey shows resilient auto aftermarket in 2020
      Trade groups oppose minimum wage increase proposal
      New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
    • Goodyear joins connected mobility pilot program in Ohio
      Titan eyes solid recovery in 2021 as ag sector rebounds
      Michelin launches high-scrub, weight-sensitive X One Multi T trailer tire
      Goodyear names Patterson to lead Cooper integration efforts
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
      Sponsored By AppointmentPlus
      Three Important Lessons Learned for the Tire Business During a Pandemic
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
      Wheel weights: Balancing form with function
    • Video: Demounting
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
      How to clear rim rust and corrosion
      An introduction to demounting, mounting and inflation
    • Video: Safety
      Customers
      Considerations for shop safety policies
      Introduction: Creating a culture of safety
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
      An introduction to tire repair
      How to properly patch a puncture
    • Video: TMPS Service
      The life-saving work of TPMS
      An introduction to TPMS service
      The importance of proper relearn procedures
    • Video: Training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
      Choosing the right auto service tech school
      Intro: Finding and training technicians
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      The gravity of proper lift points
      Safety essentials when using jack stands
      An introduction to lifts and lift safety
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      The importance of torque specifications
      Introduction to proper wheel installation
      Torque check and recheck recommendations
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
  • Awards
    • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 27, 2014 02:00 AM

CLEMSON TIRE CONFERENCE: Tire recycling market strong

Miles Moore, Tire Business staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Tire Business photo by Miles Moore
    Glenn Maidment

    HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (May 28, 2014) —Markets for recycled tires are more diverse and sophisticated than ever before, with rubber-modified asphalt an especially promising technology for the future, according to Dick Gust, director of government affairs and president of national account sales for Liberty Tire Recycling L.L.C.

    But effective management of end-of-life tires (ELTs) — whether by government or industry — still plays a major role in ensuring that scrap tires get to useful end-markets, said Glenn R. Maidment, president of the Rubber Association of Canada, at the Clemson University Tire Industry Conference.

    The North American tire recycling market in 2013 was strong, but still not quite where the tire industry would like it to be, according to Mr. Gust.

    More than 302 million new tires of all sorts were shipped in the U.S. in 2013, he said. Meanwhile, industry experts indicate a tire recycling rate last year of between 85 and 90 percent of all scrap tires generated.

    “The industry is trying to improve that percentage,” he said. “Off-the-road tires represent the new frontier in tire recycling.”

    Tire-derived fuel (TDF) and civil engineering applications have long been prominent in tire recycling, Mr. Gust said, but new technologies in ground rubber — such as rubber mulch, playgrounds, athletic fields and rubberized asphalt — are threatening to surpass the more traditional markets.

    “Today's technologies clean, process and convert tire chips into a unique rubber mulch that is non-allergenic and harmless to plants, pets and children.”

    Synthetic turf for athletic fields has a sustainable layer of crumb rubber that ensures its stability and cushioning capabilities, he said, but the most promising crumb rubber technology is rubber-modified asphalt.

    “Innovators of the industry are converting scrap tires into rubberized asphalt highways,” he said. “These highways ride quieter, last longer and use significantly less paving materials than traditional asphalt.”

    Rubberized asphalt uses a lot of scrap tires, and uses them well, Mr. Gust said. One mile of a four-lane highway paved with rubberized asphalt will use up to 80 tons of crumb rubber, equivalent to approximately 8,000 scrap tires.

    Asphalt modified with scrap tire rubber costs about $30 less per ton than conventional asphalt and more than $100 less than asphalt modified with virgin polymers. It can be applied much less thickly than conventional asphalt and requires less maintenance over time, he said.

    Rubberized asphalt also offers significant noise-reduction properties, provides faster water runoff for highways than conventional highways, he said, and reduces both splash-and-spray and hydroplaning. Mr. Gust showed a video of a car on a highway from a driver's-eye view during a rainstorm. The splash-and-spray from the rain decreased notably once the vehicle reached a stretch of road paved with rubberized asphalt.

    Up to now, rubberized asphalt has been used mainly in warm-weather states such as Arizona, California, Texas and Florida, Mr. Gust said, but recent experiences in Alaska, Sweden and some Canadian provinces have shown that rubberized asphalt outperforms conventional asphalt over a wide temperature range.

    Tire Business photo by Bruce Davis

    Dick Gust, director of government affairs and president of national account sales, Liberty Tire Recycling L.L.C.

    Meanwhile, with a burgeoning middle class in China, India, Brazil and other developing countries, the need for tires will grow — and, with that, a need for worldwide solutions for scrap tire proliferation, according to Mr. Maidment.

    The World Business Council on Sustainable Development estimates that the world generates 1 billion end-of-life tires annually, with another 4 billion stockpiled across the planet, he said.

    “In this age of our collective appreciation for the need to build and promote sustainable solutions, can we, at minimum, identify best practices to help design an ELT framework to ensure that, as these new tires come into the market in the developing world, the ELT framework is put into place so that the subsequent scrap tires are responsibly managed?” he asked.

    “If we can pick out what provisions work and what don't, we can at least shine a light on best practices in the hope that, as new programs come on stream in the developing world, they wouldn't make the same mistakes made elsewhere.”

    Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — the idea that the environmental costs of handling products throughout their life-cycles should be integrated into the products' market price — is widespread in both Europe and Canada, according to Mr. Maidment.

    There are 14 ELT companies managing tires on the EPR model in 18 European countries, he said. For the most part, these corporations were created by tire manufacturers to fulfill their obligations under the specific regulations in their countries.

    In Canada, virtually every province has an ELT management corporation, though only three — British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario — have true EPR management systems, Mr. Maidment said. The diversion rate achieved by these corporations is very high, averaging above 85 percent.

    “And, at least in Europe, the cost to recycle has generally continued to decline over time,” Mr. Maidment said. The boards of ELT corporations tend to be comprised of tire industry executives, whose goal is always to create greater efficiency and lower costs.

    However, a major problem with some ELT corporations is a high level of fraud and a low level of enforcement, according to Mr. Maidment. Some tire and vehicle importers try to put scrap tires in the system without paying eco fees, and the corporations have no powers to enforce payment, he said.

    “Enforcement is usually left to government agencies which are short-staffed and/or short of budget.

    “Invariably, any monies recovered from enforcement action goes to government general revenue, not to the enforcement agency, so there is little incentive to put much effort into it.”

    In Canada and parts of Europe, there have been attempts to move to an Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) management system, in which individual companies are required to manage a volume of ELT tires commensurate with what they put into the market.

    “If Company A sold 100,000 tires into the market, they would need to satisfy to the regulator that they managed a comparable amount of ELTs,” he said. An IPR bill in Ontario died after the prime minister called for new elections, but the issue is sure to return soon, according to Mr. Maidment.

    In the approximately 25 years of experience in ELT management, many features have been shown to work, he said. Chief among them: “Someone must be responsible.”

    “Producers must be allowed to form a collective agency to manage this part of the business. It is in no one's interest to force tire manufacturers into the waste management business. If everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.”

    ELT management companies should also demand cost efficiencies, invest in research and development projects, promote market development and have dedicated funding through eco fees, according to Mr. Maidment.

    The U.S., the United Kingdom and Germany all have robust free-market scrap tire programs and have successfully avoided establishing ELT corporations.

    “But remember, my original premise is that the tire industry needs to prepare for the inevitable growth in the developing world,” he said. “Do India, China, Southeast Asia or South America have the free market system we have here, or the same recycling business?”

    The global tire industry is expected to increase 4.3 percent annually, with two-thirds of the growth in Asia, according to Mr. Maidment.

    “The good news is the tire industry has the knowhow and capabilities to manage the future flow, because they now know what works and what doesn't.”

    _________________________________

    To reach this reporter: [email protected]

    Related Articles
    Carbon black shortage predicted by 2016
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION
    • Awards
      • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award