Brief History of Rubber Recycling

Interest in rubber recycling was given a major boost by the advent of World War II, when raw materials were scarce and recycled rubber (e.g., in the form of reclaim) was required to fill the gap. Production of these types of products was therefore increased, but the reduction in the cost of synthetic and natural rubber during the 1950s resulted in a decrease in demand for reclaimed rubber. This situation was exacerbated by a number of demanding 

By the mid-1980s, the commercial use of recycled rubber that had been produced by the traditional methods of reclaiming was extremely small, and reclaimed rubber represented less than 1 % of worldwide rubber consumption. The effect that new environmental regulations had had on the reclaim industry was a major contributor to this decline [1]. 

Another illustration of the impact of these influences, such as increasing landfill taxes for general rubber goods products, is that more forms of waste rubber are being considered for recycling. One example of this is the recycling of post-industrial and postconsumer ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber membranes, which has received a great deal of attention in recent years as described in an article published in Rubber and Plastics News [5]. 

With regard to the recent waste tyre situation in Europe, by 2010 the European Tyre Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRM A) was able to claim that the market for tyre-derived products was sustainable and economically viable and that the European recovery rate for end-of-life tyres had reached 96% [7]. In the same article the UK was reported as treating 100% of its end-of-life tyres. The figures that were included showed that of the 479,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres arising in the UK during 2009, 8.5% were retreaded, 45.1% were processed into other materials, 24% were used as a source of energy, and 19% were re-used or exported. 

One illustration of how increasing the quantity of recycled rubber being re-used is becoming an important part of corporate strategies in 2014 for increased sustainability is the recent report in Scrap Tire News describing how Ford Motor Company researchers 

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