EGLE was recognized by the Tire Recycling Foundation (TRF) for its scrap tire market development efforts.

The TRF’s Circle of Change Awards highlight the people and partnerships turning challenges into opportunities, building markets, driving innovation, and shaping a more sustainable future for end-of-life tire management across the United States.

The market development excellence award recognizes efforts that have built sustained, scalable demand for tire-derived products, turning recycled tire materials into a reliable component of state and regional infrastructure programs.

The TRF said Michigan’s initiative – made up of a coalition of public, private, and academic partners -- demonstrated that recycled tire materials can solve practical transportation and stormwater challenges while building market confidence in recycled tire materials.

EGLE annually offers grant funding for developing new markets for the use of scrap tires and expanding the use of RHMA in paving.  The City of Ann Arbor has recently paved two streets using RHMA, as a pilot, in partnership with MTU using grant funding from EGLE.  They will be evaluating the performance of the newly paved roads.  They expect, given rubberized asphalt is smoother than traditional asphalt, that it will create less street noise, provide better fuel economy, and improve wet weather traction.

See the Scrap Tire Program Market Development Grants webpage to learn more about past recipients and the next cycle for accepting grant application proposals.