RMA: Scrap tyre management continues its progress

ERJ staff report (TB)

Washington DC -- Scrap tyre management in the US progressed substantially between 2005 and 2007, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) concluded in its Ninth Biennial Report on Scrap Tire Markets in the US.

In 2007 89.3 percent by weight of the scrap tyres generated in the US that year were consumed in end-use markets, compared with 82 percent in 2005, the RMA said in the report issued June 22. In 1990-the first year the association studied US scrap tyre management-only 11 percent went to end-use markets.

Of the various scrap tyre markets, tyre-derived fuel remained the largest, accounting for 54 percent of scrap tyres generated, the RMA said. It predicted TDF demand would remain strong through 2009 because of increasing fuel prices and improvements in the quality and reliable delivery of TDF.

Ground rubber applications-including playground and sports surfacing, rubber-modified asphalt and new rubber products-accounted for only 17 percent of the scrap tyre market in 2007, the RMA said. The association expects modest growth through 2009, largely thanks to the playground and athletic turf markets.

Civil engineering accounted for about 12 percent of scrap tyre markets in 2007, the RMA said, and has been in decline since 2003 because of competition with TDF. Legal landfills and smaller markets consumed the remaining 17 percent, the association said.

Scrap tyre stockpiles stood at about 128 million total in 2007, an 87-percent decrease since 1990, according to the RMA. Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Texas have the remaining US stockpiles, though Alabama, Michigan and New York have ongoing abatement programs while Texas completed one in 2007.

Scrap tyre markets remain strongly regional in nature, with scrap tyre demand outstripping supply in about three-fifths of the US, the RMA said. The greatest market challenges remain in the West, thanks to terrain and large expanses between population centers, it said.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

Download report from RMA