Turning Tyres Into Cement

There are a lot of old tyres in Auckland. They’ve reached the end of their useful life and have to be replaced with high-quality tyres, like the ones we sell at Drury Tyres. For many years, the issue of how to deal with these expired tyres has been a curly one, as there’s been no practical way to stop them from going into landfill. While there are arty and crafty ways to use the occasional tyre e.g. paint one up and use it as a garden bed, there has been no large-scale method to convert them into something really useful. Until now, that is.

Fletcher Building has just announced the completion of a new tyre project at Golden Bay Cement in Whangarei, that is inspired by amazing things being done overseas. End-of-life tyres will be used in Kiwi cement manufacturing which will not only solve a huge waste problem in our country but will also improve the sustainability of one of our most used building materials.

It’s hard to overstate just how good this is for the environment. Up to 50% of the 6.3 million waste tyres created in New Zealand every year will now be used in cement manufacturing at the Golden Bay plant instead of going into landfill. It follows on from overseas success stories, where waste tyres are effectively used in cement plants right around the world. Here in New Zealand, specialist equipment from Denmark was installed to feed the tyres into the cement manufacturing process. The tyres are combusted at around 1,400 degrees Celsius and rubber, metal and ash are combined into the cement.

This high-tech repurposing of waste tyres at the Golden Bay cement plant in Whangarei will:

• Use up to 3.1 million shredded waste tyres
• Reduce coal use by 15%
• Reduce iron sand use by 5,000 tonnes
• Reduce carbon emissions by around 13,000 tonnes

This really is a win-win situation. It’s a major victory for the environment and an innovative solution to the age-old dilemma of what to do with end-of-life tyres. As long as there are cars on New Zealand roads, there will be old tyres. That will never change, and nor should it. Every vehicle requires new tyres from time to time to keep them safe, and we’re the people to contact for the very best brands and prices. But it’s great to know that the tyres that are being replaced will be used in such an effective and eco-friendly way.