Recycled Tires Used to Repair Local Roadways

Listen: Syd Fong with Cal Recycle

Nineteen California communities will receive $4 million in infrastructure funding to repair local roads using some of the roughly 51 million waste tires generated in the state each year. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) announced the awards through itsRubberized Pavement Grant Program, which funds local road improvement projects that use recycled tires in place of traditional materials.

CalRecycle’s Rubberized Pavement Grant Program promotes markets for recycled-content products derived from California’s waste tires. The program conserves resources and decreases environmental hazards created by illegal disposal and stockpiling, such as tire fires that give off toxic smoke. Turning recycled tires into rubberized pavement also helps reduce costs for local governments since, in most applications, the material can be applied at half the thickness of conventional asphalt overlays while lasting up to 50 percent longer.