Author: Andrew Horsman
There was a time when the construction industry only cared about tires if it was a tire on a piece of equipment or truck was flat. Now recycled tire products are materials that help create a building, as the importance of sustainable building takes hold and scrap tires are being converted into everything from roof shingles to parking lot materials. From golf cart to open pit mining truck tires, Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) helps to divert the approximately 12 million scrap tire equivalents produced in Ontario every year.
Through organizations like Earth Rangers (ER), the building industry has become increasingly aware that the performance and sustainability of recycled-content building materials, like those made from scrap tires, often exceed those of traditional building materials, and that using these regionally sourced materials helps drive the economy. The new ER Sustainable Technology Showcase website includes a virtual tour stop that highlights the tire derived products that are being manufactured here in Ontario, as well as educates Ontarians on the importance of a sustainable lifestyle. As a result of increased marketplace acceptance and the efforts of OTS, many manufacturers of tire-derived products have also made significant local investments in capital and people.
National Rubber Technologies
• Ontario tire recycler based in Toronto Ontario, with integrated Recycled Product Manufacturing operation (RPM) and a spectrum of
products serving the automotive to building industries
• Entered Ontario market in 1996, operates separate processing and manufacturing facilities in Toronto
Fabricushion
• Manufacturer of underlayment for all types of flooring, based in Markham, Ontario
• 1 facility in Canada
Multy Home
• Manufacturer of recycled rubber products for mass retail market (patio stones, door mats, rubber mulch)
• 1 rubber product manufacturing facility in Canada in Vaughan, Ontario
• Expanded sales to major retailers in Canada and USA
North West Rubber Mats
• Manufacturer of recycled rubber products based in Abbotsford, BC
• Entered the Ontario market in 2011, building a rubber product manufacturing facility in Canada in Vaughan, Ontario
SofSurfaces
• Manufacturer of recycled rubber athletic and play safety products based in Petrolia, Ontario
Together these companies employ almost 400 staff directly through their operations, and have procured over $15 million annually in equipment and services from other Ontario businesses.
The advancement of tire-derived products also positively impacts the upstream growth of related businesses. Since the Used Tires Program launched in 2009, four Ontario Processors have added 2.5 million tires of capacity. As well, four new Processors have been established, adding another 7.5 million tires of capacity. The tire recycling industry is innovative, growing and looking for partners to work with to develop new uses for products made from recycled tire rubber. The industry in Ontario is uniquely positioned to accelerate this innovation cycle and OTS facilitates this innovation through R&D, Community Grant and Demonstration Project funding opportunities that enable the establishment of sustainable markets for these products. Beyond the impact these sustainable products are having on building performance, it is certainly rewarding to see the contribution they are making to the changing marketplace dynamic and the Ontario economy.
For more information on OTS and the performance benefits of products made from recycled tires, visit www.GreenMyTires.ca or follow us on Twitter @GreenMyTires.
