Environment

Usually, tires are processed into crumb rubber—granules of rubber with the steel and fibre removed.  Crumb is used in flooring products for agricultural, recreational and industrial use; and in rubberized asphalt, synthetic turf fields, highway, and landfill construction.  In Alberta, ‘tire shred’ is used as aggregate in local landfills and in BC some tires are used as a fuel supplement, replacing fossil fuel alternatives in cement kilns.

Common features include the Community Grant Program, which provides financial support to communities who use recycled tire products in their not-for-profit projects, such as recreational facilities, playgrounds, all-weather sports fields, running tracks and arena flooring.  Recycled scrap tires are often used for playground surfacing to replace pea gravel or wood chips, setting new safety standards, and are completely wheelchair and walker accessible.