Bicycle tyres often fall through the net of tyre recycling. However, New Brunswick has recently extended its tyre recycling programme to include bicycle tyres and tubes.
The existing program allows drivers to bring their old vehicle tyres to garages, and they’re then sent to be used in a recycling operation.
This expansion will now service cyclists allowing them to avoid sending their discards to landfills.
“Now there is a place for those old tires and tubes to go to be recycled and transformed into another useful product,” said Environment and Local Government Minister Serge Rousselle.
Used tyres will be sent to Tire Recycling Atlantic Canada Corp’s manufacturing plant in Minto where they’re used in the production of cattle mattresses as well as crumb rubber, which goes into a variety of rubber products.
“This bike tyre recycling program is great because a lot of bikers are environmentally friendly and green,” explained Recycle NB CEO Pat McCarthy. “What we wanted to do was keep that rubber out of the landfill sites because it’s good quality rubber.”
