In 1971 Bandvulc Tyres Ltd was conceived and born of one of the earliest environmental awareness campaigns - that of recycling. It could be argued that this is simply due to the nature of the business, but deeper analysis reveals a much greater contribution to the preservation of resources and recycling.
For example, for every recycled tyre produced Bandvulc Tyres Ltd will save:
- 68 litres of oil
- 44 kilograms of rubber compound
This equates to approximately 12 million litres of oil and 8 million kilograms of rubber compound saved annually* (based on average weekly production of 3500 tyres moulded over 52 weeks).
With production exceeding 3,500 tyres every week, Bandvulc's contribution to preserving some of the world's precious resources is highly significant.
When casings reach the end of their working life they are disposed of in accordance with Part 2 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Around 400,000 tonnes of tyres are disposed of in the UK every year. The preferred method, used by Bandvulc, is incineration.
Bandvulc is a founding member of Transaid, the transport industry's own charity, which provides transport solutions to logistics problems in the developing world.
Buffing Dust
This waste is created from the aggressive process required to remove old tread. 'Buffing' produces between 1000 and 1200 tons of rubber dust per year*. Bandvulc Tyres Ltd uses the services of a registered waste carrier to remove the massive bags of this potentially environmentally hazardous material. A significant amount of this dust (90 - 95%) is then used in the process of manufacturing playground matting. The very fine 'grade' of the dust makes it an ideal addition to the matting material; ensuring durability and a soft landing!! The remainder of the dust (around 5 - 10%) goes back into the industry.
Rubber Compounds and Sidewall Veneer
Roughly 3000 tons of rubber compounds per year* are supplied to Bandvulc Tyres Ltd by Devon Rubber Company Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary). In addition to this, an average of 6000 kgs of sidewall veneer is bought in on a weekly basis, giving a total of around 3300 tons of rubber material per year*. Around 0.9% of these 'green' (uncured) materials are returned to Devon Rubber for recycling. Only 0.004% is absolute waste and this will go to landfill. Specific procedures for separating the 'good' rubber from that which cannot be reused are in place within the factory and have worked efficiently for a number of years.
Scrap Tyres
New legislation in July of 2003 banned the disposal of whole tyres to landfill and many unscrupulous 'waste disposal agents' have been heavily fined for illegal or neglectful 'tipping'. For this reason Bandvulc Tyres Ltd has a duty of care to ensure that only those companies who are registered with the Environment Agency as carriers for the disposal of scrap tyres are hired. Approximately 2000 tons of scrap tyres are removed from Bandvulc premises each year*.
Bandvulc's rigorous inspection processes mean that not all of the tyres which are destined for re-treading are found suitable. Many have been 'injured' to such a degree that repair is not feasible or the internal integrity of the tyre has been compromised in some way; these are scrapped. Tyres which are rejected during processing are also scrapped, with the rubber compound being removed and reused whenever possible.
Scrap tyres are destined for many alternative uses; running tracks, carpet underlay, tarmac (for roads), equestrian arenas and football pitches for developing countries, to name but a few. The tyres are also incinerated at cement plants as the energy recovery obtainable from this material is considerable (all high carbon containing materials produce intense heat and can burn for long periods of time).