According to the United Nations, a green economy is defined as low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive. In a green economy, growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment into economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The U.S. and Canada, like most nations, are still transitioning to achieve the goals associated with a green economy, and at Liberty Tire Recycling we’re proud to say we’re playing no small part.
Today, we’re removing waste from the environment and converting it to green, innovative products – while at the same time creating and sustaining jobs and growing a business with a mission grounded in sustainability.
When you look at the numbers, it’s easy to see that collecting and repurposing recycled tires is the very definition of a green business.
Nearly 300 million scrap tires are generated annually in the U.S., and disposing tires in landfills consumes valuable space at a time when capacity is in decline. Reclaiming these tires for recycling has the potential to save of up 5 percent of landfill space nationwide.
Abandoned tires are also a serious environmental concern faced by communities across the country. Liberty works with communities to clean up dangerous tire piles, and has remediated more than 150 dump sites nationwide containing nearly 40 million scrap tires.
Across North America, we’re currently collecting more than half the total of used tires that enter the system each year, and we recycle approximately 190 million tires each year – transforming 3 billion pounds of waste rubber into safe, innovative products. And, we accomplish this through the work of nearly 3,000 employees at 50 facilities in North America.
Our mission could not be more vital or timely. In response to the challenge of climate change, states and provinces are realigning investment priorities for infrastructure programs. These new priorities include solutions that offer improved performance and resilience while utilizing sustainable materials. Using recycled rubber from scrap tires helps meet these goals by reducing CO2 emissions, enhancing reliability and durability, and improving safety for major infrastructure projects such as roadways.
In the meantime, we’re taking a resource – recycled rubber– and turning it into green products including sports fields and running tracks, playground surfaces, landscaping products, asphalt solutions, and a variety of molded & extruded products.
Recycled rubber produced by Liberty Tire is also used as crumb rubber and industrial feedstock for molded products; as tire-derived fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants; as rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds; and for innovative asphalt and surfacing solutions. An increasing amount of recycled material also re-enters the market in the form of new tires.
And today, new technologies continue to come online for a growing number of recycled rubber solutions. These products and solutions are transforming the industry and helping to meet the growing desire for sustainability-focused strategies among governments, companies and consumers.
As the green economy grows and continues to create new opportunities, we’re proud to do our part.