Tyrecycle has celebrated the official opening of its newest facility, the largest and most versatile tyre recycling site in Australia. Located in East Rockingham, 40km south of Perth, the new facility includes Tyrecycle’s first rubber crumb production capability in Western Australia and is an integral part of the company’s plans to tackle the recycling of Australia’s off the road (OTR) mining tyres.
Jim Fairweather, CEO of Tyrecycle says the facility is incredibly versatile, large, and best in class. “There’s no other facility in Australia like this one in East Rockingham. Whether it’s the plant configuration, the quality of the equipment or the production capability – this facility represents best-practice across the board”.
With a processing capacity of over 40,000 tonnes of end of life tyres per annum, and a 7,000 tonne per annum rubber crumb production capability, the facility has been designed to manufacture various products to differing specifications to cater to the needs of offtake customers.
Jim says this new facility opens up significant opportunities for markets, both local and overseas. “This plant allows us to drive as much product as possible back into the Western Australia market and domestic sales as physically possible. What we can’t sell domestically, it gives us an opportunity to target stable markets, like Japan”.
With funding support from both the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments, through the Recycling Modernisation Fund, Jim also credits the Western Australian Government for its market-stimulating commitment to utilising rubber crumb in it’s road infrastructure projects.
“I can’t emphasise enough the importance of market development through government-led procurement. The Western Australian government is showing real leadership with the volume of rubber crumb being used throughout their roads network, and for that I commend them. We’re seeing firsthand the benefits of WA’s commitment to buy recycled material, not just in terms of the positive circular economy outcomes of using rubber crumb in roads, but also in the industry investment – particularly this new plant in East Rockingham. We’ve been able to invest because we know there’s a strong market to sell products into” says Jim.
The East Rockingham facility is also an important part in the infrastructure needed to recycle Australia’s OTR tyres. “While the primary purpose of this site is to re-manufacture passenger and commercial tyres, this facility will also function as a secondary processing plant to our Port Hedland operations which is focused entirely on OTR tyres” says Jim.
“Everyone at Tyrecycle is incredibly proud of this new facility in East Rockingham. In terms of it’s current capabilities and the future potential it enables – it’s opening represents an exciting moment for everyone interested in the sustainable management of end of life tyres”.
