Tire Recycling and Market Development

Since passage of the Tire Recycling Act in 1989, California has dramatically increased the number of waste tires diverted from landfill disposal and sent to beneficial end uses. Board staff estimate that in 2008, Californians generated 44.8 million waste tires. The beneficial use of 32.44 million of these tires represents a recycling rate of 72.4 percent in 2008.

The California Tire Recycling Act authorized CIWMB to award grants and loans to businesses and public entities for activities that could expand markets for used tires. The act specifically lists several types of projects: polymer treatment, crumb rubber production, retreading, shredding, and the manufacture of such products as rubber asphalt, playground equipment, crash barriers, erosion control, floor and track surfacing, oil spill recovery, roofing, and other environmentally safe applications. Grants are intended to fund research projects, to encourage business development, and to assist local government in implementing collection, outreach, and public education programs.

In addition, the Board determined that the primary focus of the Five-Year Plan for the Waste Tire Recycling Management Program (biennial update for fiscal years 2009/10 through 2013/14) would be to build a sustainable statewide market infrastructure for tire-derived products. A solid market infrastructure for rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC), tire-derived aggregate (TDA) in civil engineering applications, rubber mat and cover products, and the development of new tire-derived products is essential to divert the remaining tires still being landfilled or disposed of illegally.

In order to make these markets sustainable, a steady flow of materials into the marketplace, sufficient capacity, diverse product lines, and continuous viable uses for products must also exist. The activities identified in the Five-Year Plan are designed to help enhance and solidify the infrastructure that manages waste tires from generation to end-product, through partnership with local jurisdictions, the private sector, and other State agencies. Building strong sustainable markets in California can increase the intrinsic value of waste tires as a raw material, diminishing the current economic advantage of landfilling tires. (See Products and Uses.)

The ongoing challenge for the Board is to continue to develop viable markets for the remaining 12 million waste tires that are being landfilled annually to achieve the California's zero waste goals with respect to tires. The Board is dedicated to finding new uses for this valuable resource and is committed to working cooperatively with local governments, industry, and the public to reach this goal.

Recycling Information

• Tire Management Program Hotline. The Board's Hotline, (866) 896-0600, is available for waste tire information. Callers need to leave their name, phone number, and requests and a Board tire staff member will return the call.
• Registered Waste Tire Haulers. Find waste tire haulers in your area using our online search.

Recycling Centers | Coordinators | Associations

• Recycling Centers. To locate a convenient recycling center, call Earth 911, which has a nationwide automated hotline at 1-800-CLEANUP. You can also get the same information online from the Earth 911 website.
• Recycling Coordinators. Call the Board at (916) 341-6199 for the name and phone number of your community's recycling coordinator. You may also contact the Board's Local Assistance staff or your local city hall or public works department.
• California Recycling Advocacy Associations. Recycling advocacy associations actively promote the recovery and use of secondary materials. The California Resource Recovery Association, the Northern California Recycling Association, and the Californians Against Waste are three leading California recycling advocacy groups. Additional recycling and waste reduction information can also be found at Zero Waste California.