Tyrecycle & Alcoa Australia sign mining tyre recycling deal - International Mining

Tyrecycle and Alcoa Australia have joined forces in what is described as a milestone agreement to give a new life to old mining truck tyres. Last week, Tyrecycle’s state-of-the-art recycling facility in East Rockingham, 40 km south of Perth, welcomed its first load of used off the road (OTR) tyres from Alcoa.

To mark the occasion, Tyrecycle and Alcoa teams joined with representatives from the resource recovery industry, and the Western Australian Government, as the first load of mining tyres arrived at Tyrecycle’s recycling facility.

“The partnership with Alcoa marks our first contracted agreement with a mining operator from the southwest of WA to recycle OTR tyres. This is a significant milestone for both Australia’s mining and recycling industries,” said Tyrecycle CEO, Jim Fairweather.

Sourced from Alcoa’s bauxite mines in the Peel and South West regions, Tyrecycle processes the 57-in tyres into crumb rubber, a core component in sustainable road surfaces and soft-surface applications such as athletics tracks and playgrounds.

“Every tonne of crumb rubber used in asphalt mixes represents a potential greenhouse gas saving of 2,463 kg of CO2-e. Knowing your mining tyres took that path instead of being buried is a fantastic outcome for stakeholders and the environment alike,” said Fairweather.

Alcoa Global Program Manager – Water and Waste, Nicole King highlights quality processes and sustainable outcomes as being a shared value in the partnership. “We wanted to be sure our end-of-life OTR tyres were being managed and generating products that support our waste management objectives,” said King.

“We have set ourselves the global goal of a 25% reduction in landfilled waste by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. OTR tyres are a significant material stream for our WA mining operations, and recycling end-of-life tyres will make a contribution towards achieving our goal.”

Tyrecycle says it has its sights firmly set on expanding its mining tyre recycling capability, with the company in the final stages of constructing is new OTR tyre recycling plant in Port Hedland. The facility will have an initial 12,000 tonne per annum processing capacity and is scheduled to commence operations in November 2024.

“Our Western Australian tyre recycling capability and capacity has grown significantly in the past 12 months, with much more to come. Later this year we’ll be opening Australia’s first dedicated OTR tyre recycling facility in Port Hedland. This site will significantly increase the economic viability of the sustainable management of end-of-life OTR tyres.”