Queensland turns old tyres into roads, keeping 2.4M tyres from landfills

Australia has been looking for better ways to deal with the growing mountain of tyres discarded after heavy use for years. Now Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is testing whether one of the toughest types of tyres can find a second life under motorists’ wheels, states a 2024 report by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Government. It has been reported that the Sunshine Coast Council used crumb rubber from end-of-life off-the-road (OTR) tyres in asphalt and road-sealing works along Railroad Parade in Glass House Mountains, Spalls Road in Diddillibah and Perlan Street in Nambour. The 2024 report states that the trial featured OTR tyres with a proven track record in Queensland’s mining and agricultural industries. They recycled their rubber into road material, a potential homegrown solution to a waste stream that’s long been a challenge to manage.