Grantee Research Project Results
Waste Tires on the Island of Dominica: Survey and Solutions
EPA Grant Number: SU833512Title: Waste Tires on the Island of Dominica: Survey and Solutions
Investigators: Miller, Shelie
Current Investigators: Miller, Shelie , Mey, Brenda Vander , McWhorter, Brent , Cotrupi, Catherine , Ryan, Derek , Bornholdt, Hanna , Chamberlain, Jim , LaFlamme, Laura , Robbins, Laurie , Dodd, Nikki , Sarkar, Saumya
Institution: Clemson University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2010
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2007) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Challenge Area: EPA-G2007-P3-Z2 – Materials and Chemicals
The island of Dominica is a small nation of 72,000 people and an annual rainfall of over 400 inches. Limited landfill space and no mechanism for off-island waste disposal have caused discarded tires and other waste materials to stockpile, often in undesirable locations. Large quantities of scrap automobile tires have become a potential breeding habitat for vectors and mosquitoes, a fire hazard, and a debilitating eyesore for a nation that is striving to develop its tourism industry. The goal of the project is to create new uses for waste materials, turning waste tires into beneficial opportunities for Dominica and other small islands. This project will begin by quantifying the scope and size of the waste tire dilemma by conducting a materials audit using standard interview and survey techniques. A previous biomedical waste audit on the island will serve as a model. Maps showing tire sources and current disposal locations will be created using GIS. The team will then describe and evaluate up to four alternatives for tire recycle and/or disposal using value engineering techniques, with one or two alternatives being selected for further consideration and presented to appropriate stakeholders. A Community Build and Demonstration Project – entitled “Tires for Tots” - will be planned to use local community volunteers to build and establish a playground that utilizes waste tires for civil engineering applications, such as fencing and barriers, play equipment, and soft-landing pads. On an island with insufficient recreation infrastructure, the playground project and its attendant curriculum will benefit the people and their prosperity by developing a market for waste tires, create potential employment opportunities, and provide a recreational benefit that brings a sense of pride and enjoyment. The project will benefit the planet by eliminating a waste stream that could potentially be harmful to humans and toxic to marine and land mammals. In addition, the project and lessons learned has the potential to be exported to the other small island developing states (SIDS) nations in the Caribbean. Measurements of success will be made by making fair estimates of the number of tires diverted from island landfills and of the number of people affected and educated by the tire initiative.
Supplemental Keywords:
materials audit, life-cycle analysis, beneficial reuse, pollution prevention, Material Flow Analysis,Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.