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United States | Public works officials in Riverside, California, USA rely on rubberised asphalt as a way to recycle used tyres. The material is used to pave roads, and has been found to withstand heat, reduce noise, and support heavier trucks while cracking less compared to regular asphalt. Over the past two decades the city has widened its use of rubberised asphalt, and currently overlays approximately 20 miles of roadway annually. This represents about 90% of Riverside's yearly paving projects. Roughly 1600 scrap tyres are used to overlay a single lane mile of asphalt roadway. Over the past eight months, the Public Works Department resurfaced 10 miles of streets and used about 16 000 tons of rubberised asphalt at a cost of US$ 1.3 million. Grants from the California Integrated Waste Management Board allowed the city to be reimbursed US$ 5 for each ton of rubber asphalt used. The majority of the paving work is outsourced to private companies that make their own asphalt using scrap tires from several sources. 'Rubberized asphalt costs about US$ 5-7 more per ton than standard asphalt, but we think it reduces our road maintenance costs by 10-12% because it lasts longer, so it’s a worthwhile investment, says Ibrahim Massoud, a senior engineer for the city’s public works department.
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