Description
Each year, approximately 280,000,000 tires are being discarded in the United States. For many years, most states around the country have banned the disposal of tires in landfills. In order to solve the scrap tire issue, many states are charging the consumers for the disposal of these tires. The South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) awarded a $6 million, five year grant to the Clemson University for a research-outreach program to establish this program (Asphalt Rubber Technology Service: ARTS). Each year, in South Carolina approximately 4,000,000 scrap tires are discarded. ARTS will enable many municipalities to pave their highways and secondary roads with rubberized asphalt. There are many research projects that are also being conducted related to the utilization of crumb rubber and its application in civil engineering projects. Each year, approximately $950,000 of grants will be available to municipalities around the state to construct projects involving scrap tires applications. This paper will discuss several issues involved with recycling tires and several projects that have been completed to date. The technical and environmental issues involved with such projects will be discussed. The benefits and disadvantages of such technology will also be addressed.
