Recycling

Rubber Recycling

Rubber recycling is the process of recycling of rubber products such as vehicle tires, industrial rubber scraps that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damages such as punctures and permanent damage. These tires are among the largest and most problematic sources of waste, due to the large volume produced, their durability, and the fact they contain a number of components that are ecologically problematic. It is estimated that 259 million tires are discarded annually in the 1980s and 1990s. The same characteristics that make waste tires problematic, their cheap availability, bulk, and resilience, also make them attractive targets for recycling. Nonetheless more than half of used tires are simply burned for their fuel value even in advanced countries like Germany, 55% are estimated to be burnt for fuel. Approximately, one tire is discarded per person per year. Tires are also often recycled for use on basketball courts and new shoe products. However, material recovered from waste tires, known as "crumb," is generally only a cheap "filler" material and used high volumes. Landfill dumping technique and incineration techniques are not suitable for the rubber recycling due to its high smoke producing nature an also due to the high consuming space on the earth.