The Other Recycling…

In January the Tyre Recovery Association announced that Devon based retreading specialist Bandvulc had signed on as its latest member. The company’s entry into the TRA marks the first occasion in which a dedicated retreader has held membership in the recycling and waste tyre organisation. And so, when looking at the latest TRA membership list and noting the solitary retreader amongst a host of members engaged in producing tyre crumb for various end uses, one may be tempted to ask why a retreader has joined a recycling organisation – but perhaps a more pertinent question would be this: despite the presence of 29 precure and 15 mould cure retreaders in the UK market, why doesn’t tyre retreading more readily spring to mind when the issue of tyre recycling is mentioned?

The reason behind Bandvulc’s decision to join is straightforward: “The retreading of all tyres is a recycling business in its own right,” says Bandvulc director Patrick O’Connell. And with (according to 2007 statistics) a million retreaded truck tyres sold in the UK each year, accounting for 40 per cent of the total truck tyre market, retreading remains one of the largest avenues for end of life heavy vehicle tyres. “The TRA does excellent work in ensuring that all recyclers within the industry work to recognised standards and have a responsible recycler scheme in place,” he adds. “As Bandvulc is now one of the larger truck tyre retreaders it makes sense for us to become part of the association and assist in raising the professionalism and data capture when dealing with tyres within the UK market.”

Of the approximately 180,000 casings collected by Bandvulc each year, between a half and two-thirds are suitable for retreading. This activity takes place at the company’s Ivybridge facility, with all rubber compounds used in the process manufactured in-house by subsidiary company Devon Rubber. Those casings that fail initial inspection and are thus considered unsuitable for retreading are not processed by Bandvulc directly; the company director comments that Bandvulc itself only recycles through retreading. “Scrap tyres that are non-recyclable through retreading are disposed of through other responsible recyclers, thus ensuring that tyres which have reached the end of their useful life are disposed of using the best environmental practice.” According to Mr. O’Connell, all waste tyres not usable by Bandvulc are granulated by a third party, and are then either used to manufacture sport playing field surfaces or fed back in to be used in other moulded products.

Can this tyre scrap see further use in the retreading of tyres? The results of a WRAP funded project indicate that higher proportions of crumb rubber can be added into the compound of truck and OTR tyres than was previously considered feasible. Is the use of rubber granules from old tyres thus an option that Devon Rubber may adopt for its Bandvulc retreading compound? Potentially, yes, indicates O’Connell. “Bandvulc carried out some development work with WRAP on the use of crumb rubber in truck compounds; this work is still ongoing.” However he adds that it may yet be some time before retreads containing a significant crumb rubber content are commercially available. “There are many different types of crumb on the market, and while some benefits can be proved under laboratory conditions, it is important that it is also proved in extensive road trials.”

Another aspect of Bandvulc’s business bearing close links to recycling is the company’s Complete Casing Control service. As most good quality casings are capable of being retreaded several times, Bandvulc’s CCC service enables customers to keep tabs on the history of their retreaded tyre’s history, and how much time remains before it completes its useful working life. As with other products and services offered by Bandvulc, ensuring that customers receive value from their casings while dealing with them responsibly is all part of the service. Patrick O’Connell sums up the company’s business model succinctly: “Bandvulc’s business philosophy is based on supplying the customer with the best product, price, quality and service while ensuring that tyres are recycled in a professional way, meeting all legislation.”