Putting a Spring in Your Step

Tyres & Accessories have previously reported on similar trials in the US, and now an international construction publication reports that the humble recycled tyre is being tested as a surfacing material here in the UK. Trials of a new recycled rubber material that will potentially be used for repaving the UK’s many miles of deteriorating public rights of way are progressing in rural Nottinghamshire.

The WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) funded trial has seen a 450-metre stretch of bridleway in Clipstone, near Mansfield paved with four types of surfacing last April. Three sections contain different ratios of recycled rubber and aggregate and the fourth was surfaced using conventional techniques. These different sections will be compared in order to find the best combination to suit all users.

The results have so far proved very positive for all sections using recycled rubber. James Brown, spokesman for the engineering consultancy Scott Wilson, the company managing the trial, commented “One of the challenges when resurfacing public rights of way is finding a material that suits everyone’s requirements – some materials are too soft and others too hard. With the landfill directive banning tyres from landfill, there is a good opportunity to use the rubber to make a soft and stable surface for use in pathways work.”

Nottingham County Council’s Peter Jarman spoke of the trial in equally positive terms. “The initial trial has shown some positive findings and there are certainly opportunities to use recycled rubber in the future,” he said. “In all areas of our work, we are keen to incorporate as much recycled material where possible.”

And what about future plans? WRAP Project Manager for Tyres, Steve Waite, is positive about the new surfacing material’s viability. “Rubber offers unique properties as a surfacing material, and if this trial demonstrates that it is suitable for a variety of users, then there is significant potential for its widespread use. With tyres no longer accepted at landfill disposal sites, it is also a new market for a recycled material.”