USTMA urges scrap tire use in infrastructure projects

Washington, DC – The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), joined by 15 stakeholder organizations sent a joint letter highlighting available technologies to support national infrastructure improvements: rubber modified asphalt and tire derived aggregate. The letter outlined the benefits of these materials and identified the specific provisions within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law where these materials would qualify for consideration.
“Our nation is making once-in-a-generation investments in our country’s infrastructure and we want to be active participants in ensuring the success of these efforts,” said USTMA President and CEO Anne Forristall Luke. “As a coalition, we view this as a critical opportunity to identify mutually beneficial uses of scrap tire materials that have the potential to meet a variety of mutual societal and policy goals.”
The letter, addressed to Biden Administration senior advisor and infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu, offered technical expertise from America’s tire manufacturers and recyclers.
The group laid out a list of potential opportunities for the application of scrap tire materials to help fulfill the Biden Administration’s mission to minimize waste, advance pollution prevention, support markets for recycled products, and promote a transition to a circular economy, including:
Rubber-Modified Asphalt (RMA), a mixture of asphalt with ground rubber from end-of- life scrap tires that delivers proven economic, environmental, and performance benefits in building better, longer lasting roads and highways.
Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA), a product made from recycled scrap tires that is a proven cost-effective infill material for sustainable infrastructure including roadside embankments, retaining walls, and stormwater infiltration galleries.
“Our organizations work to keep end-of-life tires out of landfills by promoting strong, societally beneficial markets for scrap tires, and we support efforts to rebuild and improve America’s roadways using technologies that will increase driver safety and ensure reductions in environmental impacts,” the letter noted.
The letter is supported and signed by: American Bus Association, Asphalt Plus, CM Shredders, Crumb Rubber Manufacturers, EcoGreen Equipment, First State Tire Recycling, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers, Inc., Liberty Tire Recycling, Missouri Center for Transportation Innovation, The Ray, TDA Manufacturing, Tiger Eye Engineering, Tire Industry Association and United Motorcoach Association