ISRI to absorb Recycled Rubber Council

NEW ORLEANS — The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has agreed to absorb the Recycled Rubber Council (RRC), an association for recycled rubber manufacturers, processors and distributors, and take over the council's mission and activities.

The members of the RRC — mostly smaller scrap rubber collectors and processors — came to the realization in recent months that the group didn't have the resources to carry out its mission effectively, according to Steve Bigelow, vice president of sales and marketing, Liberty Tire Recycling L.L.C., and an RRC board member.

"We realized we needed to be more prudent with our funds," he said. "This will allow us to put our resources to more effective use."

ISRI will handle administration and lobbying efforts for the RRC, which was formed two years ago to serve as a resource of unbiased information about recycled rubber and to be a voice for the industry.

The council was formed amid the national debate on whether crumb rubber used in artificial athletic surfaces was carcinogenic.

The group's members, which are all involved in some part of the crumb rubber supply chain, will now be expected to become members of ISRI, Mr. Bigelow said, to provide continuity and keep the council's mission current.

ISRI has developed its own position statements on a number of scrap rubber related issues, including on artificial turf and rubberized asphalt.

ISRI also recently published a scrap rubber market overview in the March/April issue of its association magazine, "Scrap."