California Putting More Bounce In Roads: Waste Board encourages better uses for old tires

SACRAMENTO – The California Integrated Waste Management Board awarded more than $325,000 for road projects in the cities of El Cerrito (Contra Costa County) and Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County). The allocation will help divert more than 21,000 waste tires from California landfills and put them to use as rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC).

RAC is an alternative to traditional asphalt made by blending rubber from recycled waste tires with asphalt, and then applying the mix to road surfaces. Standard RAC uses 2,000 waste tires for every lane mile paved.

RAC resists cracking, retains its original color so road markings are more clearly visible, reduces noise, and over its lifetime dramatically cuts costs for road projects: a two-inch layer of the material can save up to $50,000 per lane mile compared to a standard 4-inch thick layer of conventional asphalt.

“Disposing of tires in landfills and stockpiles creates a number of environmental and health hazards,” said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. “Finding alternative uses such as RAC for waste tires is another example of Californians taking steps to protect the health of our people and our environment.”

To date the Waste Board has provided over $25 million in RAC grants as part of an ongoing effort to find innovative new uses for the 42 million waste tires generated each year in California. Approximately 75 percent of those tires are recycled, but the state faces the challenge of dealing with roughly 10 million surplus tires annually, the majority of which end up in landfills or illegal stockpiles.

Accumulated waste tires pose environmental health hazards as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents and other pests. Tire piles also pose a high fire risk. Tire fires are difficult to extinguish, and create heavy smoke and toxic runoff into waterways.

These grants from the Waste Board’s Targeted RAC Incentive Grant Program help first-time users underwrite the cost of using RAC in local road paving projects.

Funds come from the $1.75 recycling fee levied on each new tire sold in California. The Board receives $1.00 of each $1.75 fee, and the remainder is used for tire-related air emission programs.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use and protecting public health and safety and the environment.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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