Trinidad Dumps 800,000 Tyres Per Year

[LadyDeath]

Piloting the Waste Recycling Bill, Some 800,000 used tyres are dumped annually in Trinidad and Tobago according to Minister of Water Resources and the Environment, Ganga Singh .

He said it was critical that a short term solution be found for the disposal of tyres and proposed to consider the use of waste tyres in road paving, which was a "progressive way to deal with the problem". He later noted that "rubberised asphalt" had several competitive advantages over conventional asphalt.



"Improper disposal of tyres was a menace...contributing to flooding and providing a site for the breeding of mosquitoes, that lead to ailments such as dengue and ChikV," he said.

Singh said every month the country dumped 50 million plastic bottles and one million glass bottles.
He said the Beetham Landfill which took care of 65 per cent of the country's waste, was due to reach its maximum capacity in the next few years.


He said there was now a comprehensive Waste Recyling Policy which was approved in February 2015.

Singh said a new pilot project- Recyclable Solid Waste Collection project- by the EMA would soon be implemented. The project would establish drop-off collection sites for waste, including tyres and e-waste.

Primary and Secondary schools will also be engaged in the collection initiative.

 

[Shadowhunter]

There are also many ways to upcycle tires to cut down on the disposing. Popular methods I've seen include seating, gardening, and swings.

 

[nirtime]

Honestly most of the time I pass by Beetham on the highway I see tires being burned in the distance to the opposing side. I know its tires because its a very consistent black, thick smoke that burns for hours so im not going to even doubt the figures.

I suppose if rubberized asphalt is what I think it is, then we are looking at a very modern solution to a major pollutant.

 

[LadyDeath]

Tyres are burned for their copper wires that the beetham people sell to make an earning. From my research rubber paves really smoother compared to asphalt. However, i think it can be useful in paving car parks, parks etc. and might not be strong enough for highways or main roads

 

[nirtime]

It can be used as a layer on top of asphalt to smoothen/fill as well I would guess.

 

[LadyDeath]

If that's the case they should implement that project asap! So many of our public areas need paving or patching and it might even be useful for children's play parks.

 

[Shadowhunter]

YES!!!! There are many roads that are popularly used and still made of dirt, gravel, and/or sand. Even some of the paved ones have been degraded by plants growing in and around it and potholes. It really makes no sense that we cannot have every road paved in our country with all these possibilities available.

 

[nirtime]

It is very shameful that we have 1 of just 3 of the largest pitch lakes in the world but our roads call for light duty off road vehicles.

 

[Shadowhunter]

Am I correct in thinking that the roads could be, and often are entirely responsible for a lot of problems with lighter vehicles nirtime?