Planning Ministry to continue tyre recycling programme

MINISTER of Planning and Development Camille Robinson-Regis says her ministry has allocated funds to continue the recycling of tyre crumbs into asphalt mixes to be used in various projects.

Robinson-Regis was speaking during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The committee approved the ministry’s $294 million budgetary allocation.

She said testing was done earlier this year on imported rubber crumbs to establish performance characteristics. She said a down payment was made for a rubber tyre power production line to produce the rubber crumbs.

She said the goals for the project in 2022 included the rental of a facility to house a small-scale production facility and storage of the crumbs.

She said the ministry will also be looking into local and export market potential of the product and developing a business case for local production of rubber crumbs.

Rubber crumbs – or recycled tyre rubber – can be used as an additive in asphalt mix and is considered a sustainable solution to construction.

Regis said the ministry is also looking into other sustainable solutions, including vetiver grass to prevent landslips. “With regard to landslips, we’re trying to use plant material,” she said.

“Vetiver grass is one of the plant materials we are using (as we) try to be more environmentally friendly.”

She said in TT, as for many other countries around the world, there is a severe problem with the inappropriate disposal of tyres. “We’re trying to make sure that instead of dumping tyres, it can be used to mix into asphalt to reuse the tyres.”