Since 1996, Nova Scotia’s tyres have been processed and recycled by Divert Nova Scotia (Divert NS). Around one million used tyres are diverted from the province’s landfills every year and 70 per cent of those go to Halifax C&D Recycling to be recycled into a tyre–derived aggregate (TDA) for construction applications.
Tyres to Land Stabilisation in Nova Scotia
“We have a lot of soft soils in Nova Scotia that you cannot readily build on because they are too weak to support infrastructure,” Dr. Hany El Naggar, associate professor, and graduate studies coordinator with the Department of Civil and Resource Engineering at Dalhousie University. “But when you use a TDA-soil mixture for the backfill, you have something that is lightweight but significantly reinforces the strength of the foundation soil. Now, you can build the structure you want on that soil, doing it economically without any risk that it will fail.”
When building their new commercial property, President of Maritime Auto Parts Andrew MacDonald and his wife Katie learned of the TDA’s construction applications. As an advocate for the circular economy, the MacDonalds couldn’t say no to the idea.
“They sell different TDA varieties depending on your application,” said MacDonald. “I did my homework, learned about the adhesion properties, how lightweight it is compared to gravel, and I was sold.”
Source: Collision Repair
