Latest News, Special Features

Asphalt plant to boost tyre recycling, with Tyrecycle

A multi-million dollar Asphalt Manufacturing Plant has been built by a major asphalt producer in South Australia to boost the recycling rate of used tyres on Australian roads.

The new state-of-the-art $5 million Asphalt Manufacturing Plant has been unveiled in South Australia to drive better efficiencies in recycling technology and sustainable solutions in road construction. Australia’s leading tyre recycler Tyrecycle, global leader in the recovery and re-manufacturing of primary resources ResourceCo and McMahon Services, worked with Topcoat Asphalt to deliver the plant at Lonsdale in Adelaide.

Tyrecycle and ResourceCo Chief Executive Officer Jim Fairweather says by collaborating, they’re helping each other in progressing local road resurfacing.ResourceCo has leased-out a 12,000 square metre site to Topcoat Asphalt, which is on land adjacent to its purpose-built construction waste resource recovery facility and Tyrecycle’s processing plant.

“Together, we’ve created a leading-edge Recycling Precinct, where we can work side-by-side of each other to increase our future capabilities,” Fairweather says.

“It’s about re-purposing more waste tyres by increasing the local usage of crumb rubber asphalt,” he says.

“In South Australia, Tyrecycle collects approximately 4200 tonnes of truck tyres per year but only six per cent of the rubber material we process is reused in the state, with the resource being supplied elsewhere at destinations Australia-wide.”

Fairweather says the Recycling Precinct will not only create a long-term sustainable solution to improve the local road network but it’ll drive investment and create jobs.

“At a time when economic uncertainty is high, it’s important to work together and discover new ways to boost our local manufacturing capabilities and contribute to innovation as well as Australian business growth.”

Tyrecycle is part of the highly regarded ResourceCo Group, which is a global leader in the recovery and re-manufacturing of primary resources, working with governments, communities and multi-national companies to progress the circular economy and preserve natural resources.

“ResourceCo’s recycled asphalt waste will play an important role in Topcoat’s Manufacturing Plant. It aligns with our objectives for the Recycling Precinct to divert waste from landfill, extract its maximum value and ensure it’s never wasted,” Fairweather says.

Adelaide-based Topcoat Asphalt, is one of the largest asphalt manufacturers in Australia and expects to significantly boost local production of crumb rubber asphalt using waste tyres at the Lonsdale site, following a successful trial. Funded by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), Topcoat resurfaced roads with crumb rubber asphalt using recycled tyres from Tyrecycle, across six Adelaide metropolitan council areas. 20,000 kilograms of crumb rubber was used for the trial.

Topcoat SA General Manager Kelly Manning says it’s a win for the environment and the circular economy in South Australia.

“Tyrecycle and ResourceCo delivers and guarantees full chain of custody and  transparency for the all materials they process and supply which complements our strong values in developing sustainable solutions for local communities,” Manning says.

Road pavement applications including asphalt accounts for 25 per cent of the Australian recycled rubber market. Recycled rubber is credited for maximising the lifespan of roads as it’s more resistant to structural damage. It can also be superior in improving performance, waterproofing and significantly reducing road noise.

“We’re continuing to work with government and industry on the importance of tyre recycling and why it should be mandatory for Australian recovered tyres to be used in road construction,” Fairweather says.

Around 20 million of end-of-life tyres are collected and recycled by Tyrecycle per year. Presently, Tyrecycle is the only tyre recycling company that has long-term contracts for collection with the major tyre manufacturers and repair retailers.


Related stories:

Send this to a friend