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TSA News > Queensland regional Council working to make tyre waste child’s play
Queensland regional Council working to make tyre waste child’s play
1 June 2019
Following a successful tyre collection day, Burdekin Shire Council has the next tyre clean up event scheduled for June 2019. The collection day will occur at all four waste management facilities across Burdekin Shire and forms part of a bigger project that will see the construction of a $2 million, state-of-the-art, nature-based play space for the community, incorporating recycled products such as – soft fall play surfaces manufactured from old tyres.
Through this development, Burdekin Shire Council is showcasing its support for regional tyre management, teaming up with Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) to harness circular economic principles across the municipality.
In addition to the substantial amount of recycled rubber product this program will consume, the Shire has also utilised crumb rubber in bituminous road applications around the region. The use of crumb rubber modified asphalt and spray seals are gaining further interest as they continue to show added value in road asset management for Local Government.
Previously, crumb rubber asphalt and spray seals have been in extensive use overseas, in climatic conditions similar to Australia. Their long-term use in California, Arizona and South Africa have highlighted the excellent road and environmental performance achieved. Most recently, asphalt trials have been conducted in many Australian States to evaluate a range of performance factors with the results to drive an increase in the specification of such roads nation-wide.
According to Burdekin Shire Council, involvement in this program will reduce the incidence of illegal dumping in the region and in part remove unwanted stockpiling of tyres that can increase mosquitos breeding. This is a dangerous situation that can raise the chances of community health issues in addition to environmental harm if these tyres are not managed appropriately.
These tyres will be collected by TSA accredited recycler, Tyrecycle who are committed to finding sustainable outcomes for waste tyres. The added bonus for the community, means they will see the re-use of recycled rubber back into the municipality through the delivery of the new play space for local children.
The Council received support from Tyre Stewardship Australia to realise this opportunity with TSA CEO Lina Goodman recently welcoming Burdekin Shire and other Councils around Australia in working to find a solution for waste tyres. “Councils who are accredited with TSA, have established a vital step in terms of ensuring sustainable management of used tyres, along with the opportunity to drive commercial viability of new improved tyre products to deliver better public infrastructure to their communities. It’s great to have Councils like Burdekin Shire on board leading the way towards a circular economy”
