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Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) recently shared an insightful video about the tire recycling process in British Columbia, originally published by Global News. Before used tires from millions of road users in BC reach the end of their life, Tire Stewardship BC collects them across the province. Every tire is transported to the processing plant in Delta, BC. This local initiative has prevented tons of rubber from ending up in landfills since 1991, managing the recycling of about 5.5 million car tire equivalents each year.

European Commission asks the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to assess potential risks in playgrounds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in synthetic turf infill materials will be reviewed for potential risks by ECHA. The European Commission (EC) ordered the agency to analyze any dangers to children in a letter dated January 6 to ECHA executive director Sharon McGuinness. The study's scope includes loose mulches and granulated PAHs used in playgrounds, gardens and landscaping. According to the EC, the assessment's goal is to determine if the respective applicable concentration limits for eight PAHs found in infill materials are effective.

When we talk about products derived from tire recycling, we often imply crumb rubber or fine rubber powder. The former is the most common material, while the latter – one of the most expensive products of tire recycling. Yet there is another alternative, cheaper in value, but having promising market opportunities – tire-derived rubber mulch. Rubber mulch from scrap tires is produced in the initial stages of recycling process when input material is shredded several times and separated from steel wires. This yields a thin product of homogenous size, approximately 50 mm long which can be vastly used in landscaping. Below, we describe several ways of how tire-derived rubber mulch can be used.

U.S. state of Kentucky has been handling scrap tires by establishing the Waste Tire Trust Fund that gets its money from $2 fees imposed on each new tire when it is purchased. Thanks to the fund, the state manages five million of waste tires each year sending them to Champlin Tire Recycling in Kansas where the waste is transformed into valuable ADA-accessible products. They are later applied in playgrounds and trails construction, as well as in landscaping projects.

This post is a summary of numerous researches and articles published by European and American research institutions. Dozens of independent researches carried out in Europe and U.S. throughout the past decade inferred that tire-derived rubber infill in the artificial turf poses no threat to human health. Researchers assert unanimously that exposure of athletes’ skin to crumb rubber infill on stadiums and playgrounds yields no elevated risk of cancer. As the issue has been assuming additional importance, it achieved the level of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) which, together with the European Committee of Standardization, carried out comprehensive researches about crumb rubber exposure on human health.

Australian surf brand Rip Curl has started an initiative to recycle used wetsuits in collaboration with TerraCycle, private U.S.-based recycling business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey. Old and useless surfing wetsuits will be recycled as part of the Recycle Your Wetsuit program so that the materials obtained can be used to create soft rubber playground matting. In 2021, the program was initially introduced in Australia, and since then, it has also been promoted in the United States, France, Portugal, and Spain. Surfers in Australia have the option to recycle any surfing wetsuit at authorized stores either in-person or via mail. The Recycle Your Wetsuit program has now been expanded to reduce the impact of wetsuit waste.

IMC Outdoor Living – a division of Liberty Tire Recycling, the premier provider of tire recycling services in North America, – announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Hebron, Ohio. IMC Outdoor Living produces rubber mulch, a resilient and sustainable alternative to traditional wood mulch, made from 100% recycled tires. The new Hebron facility located 30 miles east of Columbus, OH, includes 60,000 square feet for production and an additional 70,000 square feet of warehouse space to store and ship premium rubber mulch that is used for playground and landscape applications. The new facility will allow IMC Outdoor Living to expand its presence in the Midwest and focus on serving the region’s parks and recreation departments, schools, municipalities, and government agencies.

Spain has taken a step to get rid of scrap tires from beaches as part of the Libera Project. The measure united well-known brands and corporations such as Pirelli Tires, Michelin, Goodyear and others; they joined Signus – Spanish scrap tire management authority – and the Network of Marine Rangers to advance the program labeled “1 Square Metre by Nature”. All parties involved in the initiative sought an aim to effectively remove and manage waste tires so they could be reused.

Recently, SIGNUS Ecovalor has published the Guide to highlight the different uses of recycled tire materials in urban environments (pavements, urban furniture, etc.). This Guide, primarily aimed at municipalities, is designed to be a helpful tool in fulfilling their commitment to the Circular Economy in cities and addressing the need to incorporate ecological criteria in public procurement. This will enable administrations to promote and contribute to economic and environmental sustainability goals through their activities.