Recycled Rubber Coalition Releases First-Of-Its-Kind White Paper

Recent high-profile instances of illegal tire dumping in Washington, DC, and Houston, Texas have renewed attention on how to better manage waste tires. While there is widespread agreement to prevent tires from ending up in landfills and illegal dump sites–where they pose risks to human health and the environment–the U.S. needs more cohesive policies to support reusing the tires. State and federal policies must support sustainable end uses for waste tires and not enact short-sighted policies with unintended consequences.

 The RRC offers policy recommendations for the federal, state, and local levels in our white paper, which can be found on our website here. These recommendations include:increase research funding: The U.S. EPA and Department of Energy should prioritize grants for expanding the uses of recycled rubber—similar to existing programs for plastics recycling.

Codify environmental standards: While all U.S. crumb rubber is safe, recycled rubber from nations with lower environmental standards may contain harmful chemicals, so chemical and material standards should be codified.

Establish preference in federal purchasing: The EPA maintains a list of recycled products that gain preference in federal procurement. There are many more instances where the federal government can use recycled scrap tire products and cut waste.    Create tax incentives for equipment and facilities: Rubber recycling facilities create good-paying jobs and are innovation centers in many communities. State and local governments should provide tax incentives for facility construction and equipment.    Implement new tire fees: All 50 state governments should enact a fee of at least $1.50 on all new tires purchased, using the generated funds on recycling and cleanup grant programs.    While many states have some combination of tire fees and recycling programs, at best it is a patchwork, with at least 15 states having no programs or fees. Our policies would help to bring up the threshold to establish a baseline for all states while helping to align federal incentives and grants to be complementary.