To counter the tyre waste plaguing Mexico, local company a3p has developed a rubber-based waterproofing membrane –the highly flexible and long-lasting Imperllanta – from old tyres. While some types of waterproofing must be reapplied annually, the environmentally-friendly Imperllanta can last 7-10 years before re-coating and also provides an average savings of 66% over other rubber surface waterproofing products. The a3p product has already been used successfully in projects such as the International Airport in Toluca, Mexico.
According to an a3p spokesman, some 600,000 tyres are recycled annually for this purpose at their factory in Mexico City: “If there were a plant in each of the 32 states of the republic, 40 million tyres would be recycled.”
Only about 12% of used tyres out of 40 million are recycled in Mexico.Most will end up in landfills, on rooftops, in home gardens, or in streets, seas, rivers, and forests. Tyres are non-biodegradable and sturdy enough to withstand the test of time, and so will dominate a significant amount of landfill space.
However, old tyres can be used as an aggregate for Portland cement concrete, or as an alternative fuel source to create the Portland cement itself. Market experts estimate that around 5 million tyres are recycled in the cement industry and in organic products in Mexico.