Identification and creation of a rubber recycling industry

POLY 45

Anthony M. Cialone, amcialone@lehighllc.com, Lehigh Technologies, 801 Laurel Oak Drive, Suite 708, Naples, FL 34108
Billions of pounds of industrial materials such as plastic, rubber, paper, glass and ferrous & non-ferrous metals are the primary inputs in today's manufacturing process. End products are then consumed and most often recycled creating several multi-billion dollar recycling/recovery industries, generating billions of dollars in revenue, requiring billions of dollars in capital investment and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. However, rubber, both in its natural and synthetic forms, is one of the most commonly used industrial polymers not yet recycled. The objective of this document is to provide an overview of the historic and current market factors driving the increase in rubber recycling in the United States. The political, social, environmental, and economic pressures and their significance with respect to the emergence of a rubber recycling industry are also presented.