Rubberised Road Surface Trialled

A type of rubberised road surface is being trialled for the first time in the UK on a Nottinghamshire footpath. It is hoped that the new coating, which is made using the rubber from old car tyres will make it easier for disabled people and runners to use the paths.

Scott Wilson, in collaboration with Nottinghamshire County Council, Charles Lawrence International Ltd, the Countryside Agency and the University of Nottingham, was awarded the funding as part of WRAP’s (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) Tyres Programme, which seeks to support demonstration trials where recycled rubber is being used in new applications utilising existing technologies.

The WRAP bridleway trial is reportedly the first of its kind to be carried out in the UK and will involve tyre rubber being used for Rights of Way foundations, surface dressing and in between conventional materials along a 420m stretch in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The surfacing will be monitored every three months alongside an 80-metre section that is made of conventional recycled materials to assess its durability.

The demonstration will assess the practicalities of using processed used tyre material in bridleways, including the selection of material, preparation for the application, utilisation and performance of the material in the application, reporting on handling, best practice guidance where applicable and discussion on specifications or standards.

Steve Waite, Tyres Project Manager, said: “With shredded tyres banned from landfill sites from July this year, WRAP is working to develop new technologies and uses for recycled tyre rubber. This exciting project has been funded because it offers the potential to significantly increase the use of recycled tyre rubber in the surfacing of bridleways.”

Richard Elliott, Scott Wilson Technical Director, said: “The demonstration trial represents a real innovation in the use of post-consumer tyre waste to solve the problem of providing Rights of Way which address the needs of all their user groups. If successful, the material could also be used in footways alongside roads, which are increasingly being recognised as part of the ‘urban gym’.”

Officials at Nottinghamshire County Council told the media that the council is please to be involved with a project that could also benefit the environment. Peter Jarman from the county council, told BBC News Online: “There are millions of tyres that are a real problem and we don’t really know what to do with them. If we can incorporate them in this type of surface to make things better for all users, then it’s a very good use of what is quite a dilemma for recycling.