USTMA and TIA form Tire Recycling Foundation

During a recent tyre recycling event held in the USA, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), in collaboration with the Tire Industry Association (TIA), announced the establishment of the Tire Recycling Foundation. This new initiative aims to secure funding and allocate grants for research, education, intervention, and demonstration projects, addressing critical knowledge and research gaps within the US tyre recycling supply chain.
The primary objective of the Tire Recycling Foundation is to achieve 100 per cent recycling of end-of-life tyres into circular, sustainable markets. “For the past thirty years, USTMA has advocated for sustainable end-of-life tyre management, but more work remains with only 71 per cent currently recycled,” says Anne Forristall Luke, president and chief executive officer of USTMA. “Through the Foundation and collaboration with our newly appointed board of directors, comprised of manufacturers, dealers, recyclers, and transportation experts, we’re confident we can advance our goal of 100 per cent circularity.”
Rubber-modified asphalt a priority
The newly established board of the Tire Recycling Foundation has set ambitious research initiatives, with fundraising targets of US$300,000 in 2025 and $2-3 million in 2026. “With this funding, we can conduct vital research and projects to address knowledge gaps and advance tyre circularity,” states Dick Gust, chief executive officer of TIA.
A key focus for the Foundation is accelerating the adoption of rubber-modified asphalt (RMA), an emerging market for end-of-life tyres. “Rubber-modified asphalt delivers a trifecta of benefits—superior performance, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability,” says John Sheerin, USTMA’s director of End-of-Life Tire Programs.
Those championing RMA credit the material with extending footpath lifespan, enhancing skid resistance and ride quality, and reducing traffic noise. Its cost-effectiveness is demonstrated through reduced maintenance requirements and total lifecycle costs. Sheerin highlights RMA’s environmental benefits: “Perhaps most critically, its use reduces greenhouse gas emissions from improved fuel economy while also curtailing tyre wear particle pollution. RMA represents a truly circular, sustainable solution that the Tire Recycling Foundation, along with our new Board of Directors, is committed to advancing industrywide.”
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