THE SOLUTIONS

How can a responsible society effectively address various waste streams, such as plastic waste, electronics, organic materials, and tyres, in a manner that promotes sustainability? One common method of visualizing this is by employing the waste hierarchy, a framework comprising five choices that prioritize waste management from the most to the least advantageous approach.

Reduction

The best option for the environment is always to use fewer resources. This can be achieved in two ways: by driving fewer kilometers and/or by making the tyres more durable, so they last longer.

Retreading

A tyre has a steel core that can have new rubber applied as the original rubber wears down. This way, most of the tyre is recycled without needing to break it down. However, this can typically only be done once, so after this the tyre needs to be recycled in a different way.

Material recycling

A discarded tyre can be mechanically recycled without the use of chemicals by mechanically processing it into three fractions: rubber, steel, and textile. The rubber can be recycled for the production of new tyres (referred to as a closed loop) or for other purposes (referred to as an open loop).

(*An intermediate process between mechanical recycling, where the tyre is not destroyed, and energy recovery, where the tyre is burned to produce energy, is pyrolysis (chemical recycling). Through pyrolysis, the tyre is partially recycled into new carbon black and used for generating energy in the form of oil and gas.)

Energy recovery

Tyres have a high heating value, almost like oil, and can therefore be used as fuel in cement kilns, for instance. This way, you harness the energy from discarded tyres, but unfortunately, you also destroy the valuable raw materials originally invested in the tyre. However, it is still better than dumping the tyres in a landfill. 

Landfill

There is nothing positive to say about dumping tyres in landfills. They pose a fire hazard and collect water, which can lead to the spread of pests and mosquitoes. Tyres degrade very slowly in the environment and can remain in a landfill for hundreds of years.