Used-tyre perspectives

Collin Greenland, Contributor

THE CURRENT debate about whether the Government should allow used tyres to be imported into the country have produced compelling pros and cons from the protagonists of both sides. Those against importation have presented valid cost, safety and environmental concerns that we would do well as a country to heed. Those who argue for letting in used tyres mainly point to short-term cost benefits, and claim that increased monitoring and implementation of improved inspection/testing technology by the Bureau of Standards can offset some of the concerns feared by the protesters of importation.

Since essential inspection technologies such as shearographers are not yet in place locally, it may be judicious for us to do so before allowing in these second-hand, inflated rubber wheel coverings. Once effective technologies are in place, there may be other considerations besides cost that may eventually tip the scales towards allowing importation, especially in our economically challenged economy.

Research on the experiences of other countries, for example, may point to substantial manufacturing and other income-earning possibilities that Jamaica can pursue after utilising used tyres safely. According to Willard Price and Edgar D. Smith from The International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management (2006), "Recycling tyres by developing strategies that combust or process waste into new products creates viable businesses, fulfilling public policies."

Great concerns

For example, the price, supply and manufacturing/importation of cement at times are the subject of great concerns and debates in Jamaica. Along with other substitutes such as wood, glass, steel, aluminium, fibreglass, stone, clay brick, and asphalt, rubber tyres have been successfully used worldwide to reduce the dependency on cement.

The abundance of discarded tyres has led to experiments reusing the rubber in tyres as a binder in asphalt, which has become known as Crumb Rubber. Further, a rubber tyre-plastic s'composite has been tested and found to be less reactive than crumb rubber binders, with more stability when stored at high temperatures. New Mexico, for example, has certified at least four contractors using an Asphalt Rubber Wet process, while the states of Arizona, California and Texas use 18 per cent rubber in hot asphalt and found that two inches spread on to a road uses about 2,000 tyres per lane mile. The Rubber Pavements Association has confirmed that in addition to crumb rubber, producers of asphalt-rubber also use rubber pellets from Canada.

Environmental issues

In dealing with the occasional environmental concerns from our Riverton landfill fires, it may be useful to note the work of the US Environmental Protection Agency (January 2007) on the 'Management of Scrap Tyres.' They contend that scrap tyres, as a backfill and cover material, are also more cost-effective, since tyres can be shredded on-site instead of hauling in other fill materials.

Other possibilities of used tyres worthy of our consideration may include pyrolysis, an innovative technique that uses a special mechanism to heat the used tyres in a closed, oxygen-free environment such as a stove, to melt down the tyres into the materials that they were made of. This method produces carbon, metal, gas and artificial oil as by-products of the recycling process, and the newer techniques produce 'softer' products such as benzene, kerozene, and diesel.

Jamaican researchers, or even courageous entrepreneurs, should also explore the possibilities of other products derived from used tyres. These include those bound together and used as different types of barriers such as: collision reduction, erosion control, rainwater run-off, wave action - that protects piers and marshes, artificial reefs, and sound barriers between roadways and residences. Entire homes can be built with whole tyres by ramming them full of earth and covering them with concrete, known as 'Earthships'.

If we end up importing used tyres, therefore, let's make sure we make good use of them after they have served our vehicles.

Collin Greenland is a forensic consultant