Abstract |
The study defines the solid waste management problem of the fabricated rubber products manufacturing industry for the production year 1968 and examines the reuse potential of the industry's waste, as well as the reuse potential of worn out rubber waste from the consumer, mostly tires and inner tubes. In the manufacture of 10.7 billion pounds of salable rubber products in 1968, it is estimated that 1,058 million pounds of solid wastes had to be disposed of at the fabricating locations and at a disposal cost of about $9.5 million. In most cases, contractors haul solid waste from the plant site for disposal elsewhere, generally to a landfill. For the entire industry, the weighted average cost for both in-plant collection and offsite disposal approximates $18 per ton of solid waste. In the rubber industry, retreaders, reclaimers, and tire splitters are reusing and recycling solid waste; however, the trend is downward for recycle or reuse. Other possibilities for reusing rubber product waste are discussed. |