Tires Into Asphalt: Commissioner Bradford Discusses Tire Recycling Goals

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

At the June 6 meeting of the Dade County Board of Commissioners, Melissa Bradford (District Four commissioner) mentioned a tire conference that she attended after this year’s Tire Amnesty Day. The Sentinel followed up to hear more about what she learned at the conference and what it could mean for tire disposal here in Dade County.

Bradford explained that Dade County pays a recycling center to accept the tires we collect at the transfer station. From there, she believes they are taken to Atlanta and sold to various groups that can recycle the tires, but we do not know exactly what happens with tires from Dade after they leave the county’s hands.

As a refresher for readers who may be unaware, running a recycling program is an expense for the county due to a number of factors. (See the March 8, 2023 and March 15, 2023 issues of the Sentinel for further details.) As Billy Massengale (director of public works) said at the June 13 county budget hearing, “The more we recycle, the more money we lose.” Tires are, of course, one of the pieces of this expense.

The Sentinel asked Bradford about Massengale’s comments and the general status of recycling costs. She said, “It’s still pretty rough. Billy’s right, but I never see the cost as a waste, because it’s a service that we owe to our world. We’re doing well to recycle whatever we can. I know there’s a variety of people who recycle and people who don’t.”

She said that citizens would have to vote to completely end Dade’s recycling program, recognizing that it will never be a money maker for the county but again highlighting that it is a service provided to citizens who are putting in the effort to clean, collect, and drop off recyclables.

In light of all of this, if tires (or any material) could be recycled in a way that isn’t costly to the county, it would be a step forward.

Fewer tires were dropped off at this year’s Tire Amnesty Day than last year, and while this data point may be insignificant and could be impacted by a number of factors, Bradford said she believes that continuing to offer the day helps citizens clean up the county and their properties. At the commission meeting she said, “Hopefully, that means we’re cleaning up all those tires.”

The conference she attended was called “Growing Sustainable and Circular Marketing,” hosted by The Tire Recycling Foundation. In the foundation’s words, “Although significant strides have been made in scrap tire cleanup, the tire industry faces a challenge: Tire generation outpaces re-usage. As states explore EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) mandates and carbon reduction, coupled with the surge in electric vehicle adoption driving up tire scrappage rates, the Tire Recycling Foundation emerges as a trusted leader, ready to lead the charge toward sustainable solutions.”

The foundation’s board of directors includes a chief strategist with Discount Tires, a vice president with Michelin, and a director with Bridgestone. Bradford explained that many of these large tire companies send representatives to this conference because of governmental pressure to take responsibility for pollution caused by their product. However, she was impressed by the companies’ genuine interest in finding solutions.

Bradford said, “For me, it was fantastic to see that these companies really do care. They can’t stop making the tires—that’s their business—so they don’t want the tires to be a problem. It gives me hope that these companies that have the money to work toward solutions are doing so.”

She said that there were some government officials at the state level in attendance, but she was one of few county officials. She chose to attend because she wanted to learn what these companies are doing to help dispose of tires and how they are working with the government.

Bradford learned that adding Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips to tires is a work in progress. She said, “To evaluate what tire is out there being misplaced, some tires are being chipped in Europe. In the United States, the tire producers are wanting to start this so they can see where their tires are ending up.”

The idea is that companies can find out if their tires are ending up in landfills. The conference also mentioned the possibility of digging up chipped tires from landfills so they can be recycled.

Bradford explained that the ultimate goal is to recycle tires back into tires, but some complications are preventing this from being possible just yet. The complications are related to chemical compounds in tires, specifically “6 p-Phenylenediamine” (6PPD) that produces toxic 6PPD-quinone.

Bradford added that some countries have found ways to turn tires into gas that can be used as fuel, but this is also an imperfect method.

For now, in America, the most hopeful way to reuse tires is as asphalt. Bradford was proud to report that the Georgia Department of Transportation was the first to approve the use of asphalt made from tires, and other states have followed suit. With increases in asphalt costs impacting counties like Dade, the hope is that asphalt from tires will ease financial burdens—both on the recycling side and the asphalt side.

Bradford envisions the possibility of creating a regional tire-asphalt production center that would benefit Dade and nearby counties. She said, “My hope is that I can learn more in the next four years, and we could purchase the equipment needed to recycle our tires into asphalt. The hope would be to have a county-county agreement and have a station somewhere in north Georgia or Alabama. Owning some of that equipment is becoming more financially realistic.”

The conference highlighted the benefits of asphalt made from tires. Bradford said, “They say it lasts longer, looks better, feels better, and cycles through water better. After finding how great tires are in asphalt, some studies are being done about using tires for concrete. They’re finding that it’s a more manageable material because it’s not as heavy as a normal concrete block.”

According to The Tire Recycling Foundation’s website, the following products can potentially be made from tires:

• Tire derived aggregate for infiltration galleries that filter stormwater
• Retreading tires for reuse
• Automotive products
• Tire-derived fuel
• Rubber mats for industrial and agricultural use
• Eco-friendly footwear and fashion accessories

Bradford learned that for about three decades now, Canada has focused on reaching the point where every tire in Canada is recycled, but accomplishing the goal took place in stages. The United States is on a similar path, but it won’t happen overnight.

In Bradford’s words, “To me, it starts with small counties and cities. It’s very possible. Even us, a small county, can do our part and learn from other counties and help other counties. There’s a lot of interesting things already taking place, and people in labs all over are trying to figure out the best solution for used tires. To me, that’s hope.”