Sustainable Roads Ahead: Why Tyre Recycling Matters More Than Ever
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More than a billion old tyres become non-roadworthy each year. That’s over a billion unwanted loops of synthetic rubber, steel, and fibre that don’t biodegrade for hundreds of years. With increasing global transport and advances in road construction, the ecological cost of scrapped tyres is an urgent concern. Amidst this problem, however, is a convincing promise: tyre recycling.
At Regrip India, our vision is of a world where roads don’t merely link places—they are sustainable. That’s why tyre recycling has become central to laying that road ahead.
The Problem with Waste Tyres
Tyres are made to last, not to break down. In the wrong hands, they accumulate in landfills, open dumps, and even water bodies, becoming disease-breeding grounds and fire risks. Tyre fires release poisonous gases and oils that pollute air and land, posing a risk both to ecosystems and human health.
Additionally, the volume of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) itself contributes to our overburdened waste management infrastructure. India produces more than 275,000 tonnes of waste tyres every year, and a considerable portion goes unprocessed. It has the potential to become an environmental and logistical disaster if not addressed.
The Power of Tyre Recycling
Fortunately, tyre recycling converts this burden into an asset. With sophisticated processes such as devulcanization, shredding, and pyrolysis, used tyres are reborn as road raw materials for playgrounds, footwear, roofing, fuel, and many others. Crumb rubber, for example, is being used more and more to construct environmentally friendly roads with improved grip, reduced noise, and increased longevity.
Tyre recycling also conserves precious resources. Instead of drilling more crude oil and rubber from the earth, we can make existing materials last longer—cutting our carbon footprint substantially. It’s a classic circular economy model: reduce, reuse, recycle.
A Step Toward Greener Infrastructure
Envision roads constructed of recycled tyres instead of clogged up with them. Rubberized asphalt not only performs better in bad weather, it keeps millions of tyres out of dumps. Cities such as Pune and Chennai are already testing such roads, demonstrating India’s potential to be a leader in the sustainable infrastructure revolution.
And tyre recycling generates green jobs—increasing incomes in processing, transportation, and engineering. It’s a double win for the environment and the economy.
EPR: Sustaining Accountability
Central to tyre sustainability management is EPR—Extended Producer Responsibility. This principle is what makes the producers responsible for the disposal of the end-of-life tyres. At Regrip, we collaborate with the producers to set in place effective EPR structures that facilitate accountable collection, recycling, and traceability.
If you’re a tyre producer, distributor, or recycler, working with us means contributing to real, measurable impact. Together, we can meet compliance goals and build a sustainable brand story.
Time to Reimagine the Rubber
Tyre recycling is not about waste. It’s about vision. A vision of cleaner cities, durable roads, circular economies, and collective responsibility. In this critical decade for the climate, we need to rethink what we waste—and how we recycle yesterday’s tyres into tomorrow’s infrastructure.
Up for rolling forward sustainably? Contact us at epr@regrip.in or call +91-98298 97853 to join the movement. Let’s build roads that don’t just lead places—but to a better world.