If you’re thinking of getting into tire recycling or want to expand your client base for recycled rubber products, there may be markets hiding right under your nose. You don’t want to miss out on markets for your product just because you didn’t know exactly where to look for them.
Here’s a list of ten places and people who would love to have your recycled tires or tire byproducts.
Equestrian Mats
Rubber surfaces have already been reducing injuries in people. It turns out that mats made from recycled rubber are also being used to reduce injury and joint strain in horses. The mats cover other flooring materials to make horse stalls safer and more comfortable.
Asphalt Production
Rubberized asphalt is making big improvements in road quality. The key ingredient is recycled rubber, preferably from recycled tires. A lot of tires go into making a single-mile stretch of road.
It’s a high-quality product, too. Roads infused with rubber last longer without needing repairs for cracks, and they reduce skidding and noise for travelers.
Athletic Equipment Manufacturers
The companies that create artificial turf for indoor and outdoor fields, not to mention the surfaces for indoor and outdoor tracks, need a lot of rubber to make their products happen. And those products are definitely worth making: when they’re done right, they mean fewer and less severe injuries for athletes.
Playground Developers
More and more playground are being built on surfaces made of either solid rubber or rubber mulch, both of which can and should be made of recycled rubber. Convince them they should be using your rubber mulch for their products.
Shooting Ranges
Rubber mulch appears here, too, because it’s great for stopping stray bullets, keeping patrons safer and reducing noise on the range.
Military Training Facilities
Rubber’s elasticity and safety factors make it a more and more common choice for obstacle courses, training grounds, repelling surfaces, and parachute landing areas.
Home Improvement Retailers
Since rubber mulch is an alternative to wood mulch for gardening and other uses, home improvement retailers would love to pass your recycled rubber on to their own customers.
Tire Manufacturers
The more tire manufacturers (for cars, trucks, bikes, toy wagons, you name it) can incorporate recycled tires into their new products, the better for the environment and everybody’s bottom line. Using recycled materials decreases the amount of raw material that has to be harvested, processed, and shipped, so it reduces waste and carbon footprints, too.
Artists
Creative types can work with almost anything, as evidenced by the fact that there are artists who use recycled rubber to create jewelry, sculptures, and installation art. They’re out there—you just have to find them.
DIYers
The internet is overflowing with DIY ideas for anything you can think of—and then some. People have made ottomans and DIY home play equipment from whole tires. What that means for you is that you may be able to find a market for tires that don’t require any shredding or processing beforehand.