Tire recycling businesses take waste tires and convert them to products that serve as raw materials for a variety of industrial and civil engineering processes. Before starting a tire recycling business, conduct a thorough market analysis to identify possible customers in your area and to find reliable sources of supply.
Finding Sources of Used Tires
Explore within a reasonable driving radius, say 200 Km’s, to find sources of used tires. Good possibilities include:
- Car rental firms
- Bus operators
- Trucking companies
- Tire retailers
- Taxi’s
- Companies with large car fleets
Methods that can be used to collect tires:
- You can sent vans to supplier’s location for pickup.
- You can use drop-and-hook, a method that refers to leaving a bulk trailer at the supplier’s location to fill. The trailer is picked up later by the recycler when it is full.
- You can also Encourage your supplliers to drop off tires at the processing plant.
Finding Customers for Used Tire ProductsThe following is a sample of possible customers for tire-derived fuel products:
- Electric utilities
- Pulp and paper mills
- Dedicated tire-to-energy plants
- Cement plants
- Institutional and industrial boilers
Ground or crumb rubber is used in the manufacture of a variety of products. Look for manufacturers of the following items:
- Automotive parts and tires
- Extruded and molded products
- Athletic surface and fields
- Agrimats and equestrian footing
- Construction
- Playground mats
- Landscaping, walkways and trails
- Rubber modified asphalt
Recycled tires have found applications in different types of civil engineering projects:
- Road construction
- Septic tanks
- Light-rail base for commuter trains
- Building foundations
- Landfill construction