Canadian Waste Tire Practices and Their Potential in Sustainable Construction

Davin Kristofer St. Pierre

Abstract


This paper is an analysis of two provincial waste tire management programs and the potential that exists using repurposed tires in sustainable construction. In an effort to mitigate the environmental hazards waste tire piles present, Canadian provinces have responded in various ways to repurpose tires for several different uses. While the tire reprocessing programs of Nova Scotia and British Columbia produce a wide variety of different recycled-material products, they both depend on secondary industrial processes to break down the existing tire structure in to its bare components. To capitalize on the initial energy inputs that exist in tire fabrication and avoid further reliance on energy-intensive industrial reprocessing, waste tire use in sustainable construction is proposed. The pioneering architecture firm Earthship Biotecture is examined to highlight the potential that exists by reprocessing tires in rammed earth tire homes.


Keywords


Waste Management, Sustainable Construction, Waste Tires

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References


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