US scrap tire recycling rates falling

Washington, DC – Scrap tire recycling in the US has "stalled," according to the latest statistics from the US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA).

The rate of scrap tire recycling dropped roughly 20% from 2013 to 2019, the USTMA states in its 2019 Scrap Tire Management Report, falling to nearly 76% from 96%.

"Three decades after we successfully eliminated 94% of the over 1 billion scrap tires stockpiled around the country, this report reveals that efforts to find and develop new uses for scrap tires have stalled," USTMA CEO Anne Forristall Luke said.

"We must take immediate steps to grow new and existing markets to recycle 100% of scrap tires. This not only protects our health and the environment – it drives innovation and jobs."

The USTMA looks at the scrap tire market every two years, and this is the association's 14th such report.

Scrap tire generation grew by almost 7% in 2019 versus 2017, the new report states, but the number of scrap tires that were recycled or reclaimed did not change during the same period.

Popular uses for tires include use as fuel or mulch for landscaping. They also are used in rubber modified asphalt and automotive products.

The report also finds that the nation's stockpile of used tires stood at about 56 million in 2016 with a most being in a handful of states – Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Last year's recycling rate of 75.6% compares with 81.4% in 2017 and 87.9% in 2015, the USTMA reported.

The trade group, in releasing the latest numbers, urged states to resist taking money from scrap tire funds for use in other areas. The USTMA supports "reasonable fees on the sale of new tires to manage state programmes."

The association also is calling for new public and private investments to spur innovation, research lifecycle impacts of different end uses, and share state-based information on a national level.

The USMTA also sees the need for state and federal policies to encourage reuse and recycling of tires.

The report shows tire-derived fuel continues to be the No. 1 use for scrap tires, accounting for 36.8% of tires reused, followed by ground rubber (24.4%) and disposal in landfills (14.3%).