
Recycled scrap tires from vehicles can be used in asphalt for roads, as a raw material in the manufacturing process, as mulch in gardens and playgrounds, or as fuel to produce energy. However when illegal dumping occurs scrap tires pose both a fire hazard and a human health risk as a mosquito breeding ground.
These grants directly support Gov. Rick Snyder’s initiative to double the state’s residential recycling rate to 30 percent. Funding for 2017 is used to support three broad categories of projects that provide for the reuse of used tires:
- Road projects using tire crumb rubber-modified asphalt or chips derived from scrap tires being used in the construction and repair of Michigan roadways. Tire crumb rubber-modified asphalt produces a pavement that lasts longer, provides for noise reduction, and gives better skid control and visibility in rain and snow. Additionally, tire chips can be used as lightweight fill along roadways prone to having subsidence issues. Tires used in these construction projects must come from Michigan.
- Research projects to find new, innovative ways to incorporate tire rubber into asphalt and concrete, improving the material’s performance.
- Equipment projects to increase the use of tires, find new ways to create commodities from tires, and increase the use of existing products. Examples of existing products include floor tiles, footwear, and rubber-compound feedstock for injection and blow molding.
Grant recipients for 2017 are:
Name
|
Project
|
Amount
|
Midland County Road Commission
|
Road
|
$431,947
|
Michigan State University
|
Research
|
$431,000
|
Michigan Technological University
|
Research
|
$431,000
|
City of Harbor Beach
|
Road
|
$220,011
|
City of Caro
|
Road
|
$207,000
|
City of Flushing
|
Road
|
$187,500
|
Saginaw County Road Commission
|
Road
|
$180,000
|
Saint Clair County Road Commission-Smith’s Creek Road
|
Road
|
$179,170
|
Imlay Township
|
Road
|
$174,000
|
City of Imlay City
|
Road
|
$155,000
|
City of Davison
|
Road
|
$105,000
|
Village of Ortonville
|
Road
|
$103,000
|
Porous Pave Incorporated
|
Equipment
|
$62,779
|
Saint Clair County Road Commission-Bridge Overlays
|
Road
|
$33,176
|
|
|
$2,900,583.00
|
For more information about Michigan’s Scrap Tire Program, visit www.michigan.gov/scraptires.
Source: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality