Old tires make new roads

Those tires on your wheels may end up on your roads, thanks to a more than $325,000 effort to divert 21,000 waste tires from California landfills and use them to create rubberized asphalt concrete, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

The waste board awarded the money last week to El Cerrito up north in Contra Costa County and Baldwin Park.

Rubberized asphalt concrete is made by blending rubber from recycled waste tires with asphalt and uses about 2,000 waste tires for ever lane mile paved. Not only does it cut down in noise, but it resists cracking, retains its original color and can save up to $50,000 per lane mile compared with the standard 4-inch thick layer of regular asphalt.

So far the waste board has provided more than $25 million in such grants to find new uses for the roughly 42 million waste tires generated each year in California. About 75% are recycled, but roughly 10 million tires remain and are often found in landfills or illegal stockpiles. These surplus tires can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents and other pests, according to the board. They also can pose a high fire risk, and these fires are not only hard to put out but they also create heavy smoke and toxic runoff.

Money for these grants come from the $1.75 recycling fee charged on each new tire sold in California. The waste board receives $1 for each tire, and the rest of the money is used for tire-related air emission programs.

-- Tami Abdollah

Photo: Michael Conroy / Associated Press

Comments

[Antonio Pacheco]

I'm a huge fan of diverting recyclable materials from the waste stream. But im wondering...

"They also can pose a high fire risk, and these fires are not only hard to put out but they also create heavy smoke and toxic runoff."

Does baking in the hot sun all day + friction from cars going 60+ cause the same sort of heat that could cause a similar sort of toxic runoff? What about when you add rain to the mix? We DONT need anymore toxic runoff in our rivers.

[Sal B]

@Antonio Pacheco:

See

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/tires/RAC/

Recycled rubber/asphalt mixtures have been used on roads since the 1970s.

Your concerns are misplaced.

[800HighTech]

Definitely issues with heat and toxic fumes.....if rubber asphalt mixtures have been used on roads since the 1970s, then there must e reason they haven't already become popular....

[paingod]

I thought they tried this method sometimes in the 90s on horse race tracks?

[erichansa]

I'm pretty sure California isn't the first to do this...

[Jim Jones]

Thats awesome. Its good to see old tires being put to good use!

JT
www.FireMe.to/udi

[Brian]

Why are you worried about a road fire just because these tires are blended in? Asphalt is very flamable and burns with as much smoke as rubber.

[auto parts carms]

It’s nice to know that tires can be recycled that way. I do hope it’s safe.

[Tony]

Rubberized roads have been around for a long time, however they are more expensive and last longer. Unfortunately, we (the US) are more worried about the lowest cost road. Road building usually goes to the lowest bid. Hence we have to replace roads ever 5-10 years instead of every 15-20 years. You get what you pay for....

[Rob]

Rubberized roads were tested here in Maine and the test segments worked well against cracking and frost heave damage. However as another has posted, road repairs are awarded to the lowest bidder, not the contract providing the longest lasting road at the best price per year. It is entirely possible that bidders stay away from these longer lasting solutions to ensure a steady recurrence of work projects. Some of the road work here is just terrible, but no one seems to be accountable for it. The State of Maine has raided the highway fund as well to fund other deficit budget items. It's illegal of course, but again, no one seems to be accountable for it.

[Dee Mullen]

This is an awesome idea!! I hope that Cleveland will start doing this if the city hasn't already.

[Wm]

As you might remember, adding bit of old rubber tires proved to be an excellent idea in the past. Test have shown that such pavement last many years more than regular asphalt. The US Congress even passed a law requiring that all interstate highways be paved with the new rubberized asphalt. However, after passing the law, the pavement industry ran crying to Washington with hands full of cash. The corrupt congressmen then sold the American tax payer out by repealing the law. They are now strapped for cash, knowing that Americans are not warming up to their recent indoctrination as to needing to raise taxes. So in order to save on highway maintenance cost (finally), they again want to use rubberize asphalt. This, of course, is not to save us money, but to reallocate the savings to other pork barrel projects in order to get reelected.

[Wm]

As you might remember, adding bit of old rubber tires proved to be an excellent idea in the past. Test have shown that such pavement last many years more than regular asphalt. The US Congress even passed a law requiring that all interstate highways be paved with the new rubberized asphalt. However, after passing the law, the pavement industry ran crying to Washington with hands full of cash. The corrupt congressmen then sold the American tax payer out by repealing the law. They are now strapped for cash, knowing that Americans are not warming up to their recent indoctrination as to needing to raise taxes. So in order to save on highway maintenance cost (finally), they again want to use rubberize asphalt. This, of course, is not to save us money, but to reallocate the savings to other pork barrel projects in order to get reelected.

[Tire Hauler]

If Used Tires are Used For Our Roads, than why do they not have any value ?

How can Used Tires Increase in Value ?

Would Anyone Buy Used Tires ?

Does any one use Used Tires for Art ?

How Can Used Tires Help the Environment ????