Tire recycling end markets active in 2023, USTMA says

The United States Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), Washington, is reporting that 79 percent of end-of-life tires generated in the U.S. last year were consumed by end markets for scrap material.

In comments accompanying the release of its 16th "End-of-Life Tire Management Report," USTMA says this demonstrates positive momentum in tire recycling as the 79 percent figure reflects a 10.5 percent increase in overall utilization.

“End-of-life tires remain one of the most recycled and reclaimed consumer products, outpacing materials like metal, glass, aluminum, plastic and paper,” USTA says. “Collaborative efforts across the tire recycling value chain must continue to fully eliminate illegal and abandoned tire stockpiles and create sustainable, circular markets for end-of-life tires (ELTs).”

A significant percentage of ELTs is shredded and used as tire-derived fuel (TDF), an alternative to coal or other materials in cement kilns and boilers.

“USTMA’s primary goal is to recycle 100 percent of end-of-life tires into circular, sustainable markets," USTMA President and CEO Anne Forristall Luke says. "However, significant work remains, and to achieve full circularity, we must continue to collaborate with manufacturers, recyclers, policymakers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and environmental groups to develop and expand the markets for tire recycling and reclaiming.”

Ground rubber, also called crumb rubber, has become the second-largest market for end-of-life tires, according to USTMA. Markets for crumb rubber have increased 29 percent in size since 2019 and consumed about 28 percent of end-of-life tires in 2023.

Ground rubber is used in a range of applications, including rubber-modified asphalt (RMA), a recycled-content paving material.

RMA demand is showing significant growth as a cost-effective, durable solution for U.S. infrastructure, USTMA says.

Since 2021, RMA has consumed 165,000 tons of ELTs, showing a 17 percent demand increase. USTMA advocates for federal funding to further scale RMA as part of infrastructure development projects, ensuring long-term benefits, performance, environmental impacts and to advance tire circularity.

Despite the encouraging figures, approximately 48 million ELTs remain in stockpiles, the group says. The Tire Recycling Foundation (TRF), a joint initiative of USTMA and the Tire Industry Association, strives to cut into stockpiles.

“We’ve made considerable progress, but we’re not done yet,” Forristall Luke says. “The industry, policymakers and recyclers must continue to push forward, advocate for market expansion and invest in sustainable recycling technologies that can help drive a future where 100 percent of tires are recycled and reclaimed into sustainable, circular end use markets.”

As part of that effort, USTMA plans to release a tire-derived aggregate (TDA) "State of Knowledge Report" later this year, offering what it calls data-driven insights "to support market growth and innovation.”

In an example pertaining to RMA, the University of Missouri College of Engineering has received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create environmental product declarations (EPDs) for rubber-modified paving materials.

“Rubber-based roads have been around for more than three decades, it’s just that the amount of this material has been relatively small,” says Bill Buttlar, Glen Barton Chair in Flexible Pavement Technology at the university.

“For the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to enforce low-carbon materials, there has to be some way to quantify it,” adds Punya Rath, who is working with Buttlar on the project. “How are you going to say which asphalt is less carbon-intensive? We need a scoring system to make that comparison. ... EPDs will tell you how much CO₂, nitrogen dioxide and other gases are emitted during the production of rubber-modified asphalt mixtures.”

“In the U.S., growth of rubber-modified asphalt has been slow," Buttlar continues. "Now, the increased focus on sustainability is creating a demand for it.”