Max Lam, the Director of Autocycle International, has a vision for a safe and sustainable future for tire recycling in Australia and is setting the bar high at a new plant in the Melbourne suburb of Altona North.

Max Lam is a seasoned environmental consultant and for more than 10 years has worked in contaminated land management and compliance issues. He’s developed a network within the waste disposal industry and says he sensed a transformation of the industry several years ago, with many transferring their knowledge and skills to recycling.

With the introduction of government legislation and initiatives to tackle Australia’s waste, including a ban on the export of whole baled tires, which came into effect on 1 December 2021, Max saw an opportunity.

There were numerous meetings to determine the best partner for building a new plant in Altona North.

Eventually, Eldan Recycling – renowned Danish manufacturer of tire recycling equipment – designed and supported Autocycle International team through the entire build of Altona North plant to recycle end-of-life passenger and truck tires into a range of rubber products suited for both Australian and international markets, ranging from 30 mesh rubber powder to 20mm rubber chips.

Max Lam says Eldan Recycling’s reputation was a major motivator when choosing a company to build the processing plant.

The Altona North facility had a “soft launch” in November 2021 and was to be commissioned in February 2022.

Lam is aiming to make Autocycle International as sustainable as possible. He’s investing in best-practice in Australia and aims to be net-zero.

He sees the Altona North facility as a “pilot” facility and aims to identify a site for a larger, purpose-built plant by June 2022, which will incorporate manufacturing a range of rubber products.

To learn more, please proceed to the article by Waste Management Review.