Spent tyres will be given another life as the result of a Tasmanian Liberal Government grant delivering new investment in the resource recovery sector.
Minister for Parks and Environment, Nick Duigan, announced the $1.27 million grant to Tyrecycle Pty. Ltd.
"Tyrecycle will use the grant to upgrade Barwick's Bridgewater tyre shredding facility to add a new waste tyre chipper," Minister Duigan said.
"It means end-of-life tyres collected from around Tasmania will be pre-processed using the existing shredder and then manufactured into five-centimetre tyre derived fuel chips using the new plant.
"These fuel chips can be used as a replacement fuel for coal in cement kilns and for other industrial processes."
Minister Duigan said the investment will stop tyres from having to be exported to Melbourne or even overseas for further processing.
"The Tasmanian Liberal Government's 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future ensures we maximise ways to reduce our carbon footprint," Minister Duigan said.
"Due to the high energy content of tyres, when tyre derived fuel is used in place of coal it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 per cent.
"This will help reduce Tasmanian carbon emissions and provide a more sustainable use for the 650,000 end-of-life car tyres collected each year in the state."
The grant is being offered under the $3 million Waste Tyre Reprocessing Grant Program, which was established to help find sustainable uses for end-of-life tyres in Tasmania.
As the largest tyre recycler in Australia, Tyrecycle has extensive experience in providing tyre derived fuel to industry across the world.
The use of this fuel in any Tasmanian facility would be subject to relevant planning and environmental approvals.
