First mining tyre recycling facility opens in Australia

End-of-life, off the road (OTR) mining tyres in Western Australia’s Pilbara region will now be recycled instead of buried, thanks to the opening of the county’s first, purpose-built facility in Port Hedland.

Opened by Tyrecycle, the new facility will have the capacity to process over 30,000 tonnes of OTR mining tyres annually, providing an efficient mine-to-processing service, and enhancing sustainability credentials for operators in one of the world’s busiest mining regions.

Tyrecycle chief executive, Jim Fairweather, said opening the facility in such a busy mining area will make it easier than ever to deliver sustainable outcomes for end-of-life mining tyres and conveyor belts.

“Mining companies recognise the importance of managing their waste streams responsibly, and we’re here to work alongside them to deliver more sustainable outcomes,” he said.

Fairweather believes the new facility will address a significant gap in Australia’s capability of recycling mining tyres.

“We’re collecting OTR tyres at 10 per cent, while mining tyres are only being collected at one per cent, so there is a significant shortfall in the market which needs to be addressed,” he said.

“There’s 130,000 tonnes of OTR mining tyres generated every year in Australia and 50,000 tonnes of that is generated in the Pilbara, so if you’re going to build a plant to process these tyres anywhere around the country, you put it in Port Hedland.”