Columbia, SC - The South Carolina Recycling Market Development Advisory Council announced that South Carolina has been recognized by the Rubber Manufacturers Association as being the best state in the nation for managing its waste tires.
According to the Council which is managed within the Department of Commerce, 8.2 million tires were recycled in 2005. The state’s top ranking is based on the percentage of tires going to end-use markets, the number of stockpiled tires, stockpiled tires per capita, number of tires land-disposed and the percent of tires per capita/land-disposed in 2005.
“This is the first year that the Rubber Manufacturers Association has ranked the states on scrap tire progress,” said Steve Padula, Michelin, N.A. manager of End of Life Tires and member of the state’s advisory council. “This ranking just confirms what we have known all along; South Carolina is #1 and doing a tremendous job in managing scrap tires!”
“This accomplishment serves as a great example of what can be done when all stakeholders, including government and industry, work together,” Padula added.
“This is great news for all the citizens of South Carolina,” said Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor. “Our state’s environment and quality of life are vital reasons why people and companies decide to live and locate in South Carolina, and our efforts to reduce the number of tire stockpiles and promote businesses that recycle them are paying dividends. Congratulations to all the partners who helped us achieve this number one ranking.”
According to the Council, the primary markets for processed scrap tires in South Carolina are drain field aggregate and tire derived fuel. In addition, the state has collaborated with a number of other partners to address new market opportunities for scrap tires, such as rubberized asphalt.
Through the Asphalt Rubber Technology Service (ARTS) at Clemson University, this research facility actively works to promote, design, and test the use of recycled scrap tires in rubberized asphalt and other civil engineering applications. It is a partnership between the South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, Clemson University and the City of Clemson. The facility provides grant funding to local governments to discover new uses and improve upon the existing uses of scrap tires. The Council has worked with ARTS on a number of market development projects involving the private sector over the years.
“We are elated about the success of South Carolina’s waste tire management,” said Gerry Fishbeck, chair of the Recycling Market Development Advisory Council. “South Carolina has this success because of the legislation and laws created by the 1991 SC Solid Waste Policy and Management Act. Thanks to this type of legislation, we are able to fund these and other kinds of research and development efforts in our state. It is this forward thinking in our policies that helped us attain this accomplishment and we look forward to creating more of those for other recyclables in the future.”
Nationally, the Rubber Manufacturers Association reports that 87 percent of scrap tires were recycled in 2005, compared to only 11 percent being recycled in 1990. In addition, tire stockpiles have shrunk considerably over the same time period – from more than 1 billion in 1990 to about 188 million in 2005.