Tyrecycle and bicycle retailer Revolve Recycling have partnered to launch a tyre recycling program, aiming to reduce waste from bike shops. 

The companies say bicycle tyres and tubes will be collected from bike stores and bicycle owners combined by Revolve Recycling, and shipped to Tyrecycle by Bingo Industries for conversion into new products made in Australia at Tyrecycle’s new Erskine Park facility. Scrap metal will be sent to Sims Metal for recycling.

“Until now, bicycle tyres and tubes have been challenging to recycle for a number of reasons, including the overall lack of scale and the need to remove metal valves,” said Pete Shmigel, director of Revolve Recycling. 

“We will meet this challenge by consolidating the collection of tyre material across many bike shops and by pre-treating it so that Tyrecycle can usefully use it.”

The recycling solution for bicycle tyres and tubes is part of Revolve Recycling’s new bike store waste minimisation service, offered in Sydney, with ambitions to expand to Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong, and other locations.

According to the companies, tyres and tubes account for up to 10 per cent of the garbage produced by a normal bike store. One hundred bike shops in Sydney could produce up to 50 tonnes of rubber waste annually.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 tonnes of material – or up to 14 million tyres and tubes – are thought to be stored on abandoned bicycles in Australia’s garages, verandas, and sheds.

“With higher-quality material, we can now more readily use bicycle tyres and tubes in our product manufacturing,” added Jim Fairweather, CEO of Tyrecycle. 

“This could include rubber crumbs used in playground equipment and in road-building materials. It’s part of Tyrecycle’s commitment to going circular.” 

Tyrecycle was founded in 1992 with the goal of using cutting-edge technologies to turn garbage into useful products. Revolve Recycling, meanwhile, aims to establish itself as Australia’s leading platform for assisting riders, bike shops and other merchants, PTV fleet operators, importers, and others in giving old rides a new lease on life.

Norman, a mountain bike apparel startup, presented its first line of sustainable and ethically manufactured clothing that combines “support and utility with a modern minimalist aesthetic” last year.