1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164 
BANOVULC: BACKGROUND
Page 49
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Independent tyre retreader Bandvulc produces over a million remoulds a year at Its Ivybridge, Devon factory, including 450,000 tyres for HGVs.
But the increasing problem of old casing disposal could be minimised if governments were to insist on a greater use of retreaded tyres, says codirector John O'Connell.
"Today's retreads aren't like those of years ago." he points out. "Passenger aircraft tyres, for example, are retreaded up to seven times and many major supermarket fleets use remoulds too. It's easy to forget that In most cases it's only the tread that wears."
Some used rubber is turned into athletics tracks, playground safety coverings, or even fuel—and Bandvulc's rubber-based garden decking recently won a West Country Business Challenge award.
But Britain's truck tyre retreading industry already saves 12 million gallons of oil annually: 20 gallons for each truck tyre and four gallons for a car tyre. says O'Connell.
He suggests that instead of focusing on the disposal of scrap tyres, the government should also emphasise the other environmental benefits of recycled tyres.