Environmental Benefits of Recycled Rubber in South Africa

In 2011, there were estimated to be more used tyres than people in South Africa. Since the government approved a tyre waste management plan in 2012, recycling of waste tyres has jumped from only 4% to more than 60%.

While South Africa faces many such problems, numerous organisations are tackling these issues with innovative approaches and solutions.

Take a problem like waste tyre dumps. Instead of seeing an insurmountable problem, it’s possible to see the potential for product development and community enrichment.

This is exactly what we have done at Van Dyck and at our sister company, the Mathe Group.

The problem with waste tyres

Waste tyre dumps remain a serious problem in South Africa. Currently, more waste tyres are produced than can be managed and recycled, with 170,000 tyres reaching end-of-life each year.

When dumped, tyres become a serious environmental and societal hazard. They don’t degrade easily and, when they do, they can leech harmful chemicals into the ground.

Also, tyre mounds pose health risks to nearby communities. They’re usually unstable and unsafe. Rainwater collected in them can breed disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Incinerating tyres is not a viable solution. When burned, tyres release toxic pollutants, including carbon dioxide, heavy metals, sulphur oxides, nitrogen and benzene.

The environmental benefits of recycling rubber

Recycling tyres for their components is the best and most sensible option for end-of-life tyres. A recycled tyre can be turned into rubber crumb for use in eco-friendly products. They also produce a significant amount of recycled steel.

For each tonne of tyres that’s recycled instead of incinerated, roughly 0.7 to 1.1 tonnes of CO₂ emissions are avoided. On top of that, recycling prevents other pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from entering the environment.

Through recycling, the overall ecological impact of a tyre’s lifecycle is significantly reduced. This supports a circular economy. A discarded end-of-life product can re-enter the production line as a raw material for new products and applications.

Tyre recycling plants, which are much needed with so many old tyres ending up in dumps, create jobs for nearby communities and provide investment opportunities.  

How recycled rubber is used

Recycled rubber crumb has many applications and more are being developed. One of the most common ways to use rubber crumb is infill for sports fields underneath the turf.

Rubber crumb is also being used with great success as a rubber-based bitumen for building and resurfacing roads. Many major roads in South Africa have been refurbished this way.

There are many end-user products made from recycled rubber crumb, including rubber paving, gym flooring, rubber ground cover, flooring underlays, ballistic tiles and acoustic products.

Rubber crumb has industrial and construction applications too. Rubber crumb is used as a paint and coatings additive to give products elasticity and durability. Crumb rubber can also be used in concrete for construction, in place of sand, which is a finite resource.

Where our recycled rubber comes from

We get all our recycled rubber crumb from our sister company, the Mathe Group – a leading tyre recycler in South Africa.

The Mathe Group is dedicated to reducing harmful waste tyres in the environment. Their plant in Hammersdale runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, recycling about 1,000 truck tyres and producing about 45 tonnes of rubber crumb each day. 

The Mathe Group employs a cradle-to-cradle methodology, which is a strategy for minimising the overall waste associated with the production and use of a specific product – in this case, truck tyres.

It recently recycled its one-millionth tyre, a figure which would have been higher if not for the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This is equivalent to preventing between 45,500 and 71,500 tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.

Recycled rubber products from Van Dyck

At Van Dyck, we produce a wide range of products made from recycled truck tyre rubber, including indoor and outdoor gym mats, ballistic blocks, rubber paving, equestrian rubber, livestock mats and wet pour rubber ground cover.

We have also developed state-of-the-art acoustic flooring and sound dampening products, including our EcoLay® and PermaFlex® ranges. These include acoustic underlays, acoustic cradles and acoustic gym tiles.

We recently introduced rubber sole boards for construction applications. These durable scaffolding sole boards improve safety and performance on construction sites.

Order our products online from our shop and get free delivery to anywhere in South Africa. To learn more about our products or to place a custom order, contact us online or call (+27) 874 600 400.