State Lends $2 Million to Tire Recycler: Helps convert tires to better use as rubber roads

SACRAMENTO--The California Integrated Waste Management Board approved a $2 million Recycling Market Development (RMDZ) program loan to B.A.S. Recycling in San Bernardino County. The low interest loan will protect California’s fragile environment by diverting more than 5,000 tons of waste tires away from California landfills and into a new use as asphalt.

"We've seen the dangers that come with stockpiling waste tires, and this recycler not only reduces these hazards but provides a superior product," said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. "The Board, through our RMDZ program, has given nearly $100 million in loans, helping to divert about 7 million tons of waste and create 8,800 jobs.”

B.A.S. plans to buy a system that uses a freeze chamber to process tire chips from waste tires and convert them to crumb rubber. This crumb rubber is used to create Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (RAC), which is an alternative to conventional asphalt used for road paving projects. RAC is 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 while RAC Chip Seal utilizes 300 pounds of waste tires for every ton of seal material. 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.

California produces more than 42 million waste tires annually. Accumulated waste tires pose environmental health hazards as they quickly become 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. Over the past few years, California has recycled nearly 10 million waste tires with the RAC paving projects.

The Recycling Market Development Zone program, funded by tipping fees collected from landfills, combines recycling with economic development to assist new or existing businesses, create jobs, and divert waste from landfills. This program provides attractive loans, technical assistance, and free product marketing to businesses that use materials from the waste stream to manufacture their products.

The program is available to businesses throughout nearly 50 percent of California.

California's recycling industry now accounts for 85,000 jobs. It generates $4 billion yearly in salaries and wages, and produces $10 billion worth of goods and services annually. Recycling has become a viable, mainstream industry that is equivalent to the size of the motion picture industry in California.

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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