Scrap Tires Are a Growing Environmental Problem

We view scrap tires as a resource

"Many governmental bodies including Norway, Sweden and California have recently reviewed the health issues associated with the use of crumb rubber as infill at playgrounds and synthetic turf fields… Several recent preliminary studies … indicated the presence of organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, such as zinc, and raised concerns that these substances could have potential adverse impacts on the environment and public health, especially for children playing on these synthetic turf fields for extended time periods."

A Study to Assess Potential Environmental Impacts From The Use of Crumb Rubber As Infill Material in Synthetic Turf Fields

See: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials
_minerals_pdf/tirestudy.pdf

Until now, there has been no environmentally, socially, and economically attractive way of dealing with scrap tires.

Our approach is changing all that

Scrap tires are, literally, everywhere. They make up 7% of the waste stream in the Western World. On average, we produce one scrap tire for every man, woman, and child each and every year. Hundreds of millions of scrap tires are stockpiled in waste sites across the United States and Canada alone. Traditional approaches for dealing with scrap tires - such as crumbing or burning tires for fuel - face mounting environmental and health concerns. These approaches are neither attractive nor sustainable.

At RIPP, our approach is radically different in both concept and practice. Instead of viewing scrap tires as a waste management problem, we see them as a resource recovery opportunity. In our world, tire stockpiles are untapped feed-stocks, and scrap tire diversion programs hold the potential for generating countless manufacturing jobs and spin-off industries, while at the same time helping the environment.

Each RIPP tire conversion facility generates substantial and enduring benefits, including:

  • High quality, permanent direct jobs within the facility, as well as significant peripheral employment in related industries
  • Private direct investment in land and facility construction
  • Tax revenues on the facility's operating income and payroll
  • Positive environmental footprint, including carbon credits