The Tire Industry Association’s (TIA) Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) introduced an easy-to-use glossary of key reference terms and definitions used in the tire and rubber recycling industry.
The guide, which also contains terms and definitions covering other tire segments, was developed to improve knowledge and communication and serve as a valuable resource for anyone working in the tire recycling industry, said Dick Gust, EAC chairman.
As more businesses become concerned with sustainability, the glossary will help to define terms and technologies frequently used in the tire recycling industry and aid state regulators when drafting rules and regulations to manage the flow of scrap tires, he said. Tire dealers also will find it a handy reference when dealing with customers who wish to learn more about where scrap tires go when removed from their vehicles.
The glossary also should be of help to manufacturers who use recycled scrap tires as a raw material in developing product and raw material specifications, Gust said.
The reference guide contains specific “core” terms that represent the foundation for scrap tire and rubber recycling and is not meant to be inclusive. Additional terms may be added to future publications as the industry changes.
The glossary builds upon a terminology guide introduced nearly 25 years ago by the former Tire and Rubber Recycling Advisory Council of the International Tire and Rubber Association, which later merged with the Tire Association of North America to create TIA. At the time, tire recycling was growing in importance as various states enacted laws to better manage scrap tire flow.
“The EAC recognized that the original guide was an excellent starting point to update the terms,” Gust said. “Since then, new technologies have developed, processing equipment has improved significantly, the value of the raw material has been found to enhance the performance of various products, and the importance of sustainability has become a corporate directive. The new glossary keeps pace with those changes.”
The EAC has 12 participants from state agencies, tire dealerships, tire manufacturers, and other industry companies. They include, in addition to Gust: Charles Astafan of CM Shredders, Farella March and Kole Kennedy of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Monti Niemi of First State Recycling, Mary Sikora of Recycling Research Institute/Scrap Tire News, John Baldwin of Discount Tire Co., John Evankovich of Sam’s Club’s Tire & Battery Centers, Brad Feeney of TBC Corp., Debra Hamlin of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Tom Huls of TOKAH Inc. dba. Big O Tires, Jim Pangle of Fountain Tires, and T.J. Trum of Pomp’s Tire Service Inc.
Council members, including Sikora, who worked on the first terminology guide and helped research and edit the new glossary, spent 11 months working on the project before it was ready to be published, Gust said.
The glossary can be found on the TIA website, tireindustry.org, under the Resources tab and the Industry Resources category.
