Across the world, it’s estimated that around 1.5 billion vehicle tyres are discarded every year. Most of us have probably never really thought about this or what might be happening to such a mountain of tyres once they’ve been cast off. While some may get strung up to a tree to make a swing, such repurposing is really an exception to the rule. In fact, less than one percent of old vehicle tyres are ever reused, meaning huge quantities wind up in stockpiles and landfill.
Now, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) have come up with something that could not only help to resolve the landfill problem but also provide an economically viable and sustainable alternative to concrete for the construction industry. Read this week’s blog for more about this exciting development.
Materials from construction and demolition are contributing up to 40 per cent of the world’s waste – the result of which is often mountains of rubble left in landfill sites. We all know this is unacceptable but perhaps there’s a simple solution – recycled concrete. A five-year study of this type of concrete shows it performs just as well and, in several cases, actually outperforms the traditional material.