Tyres treatment and disposal: comparison between two situations in the EU

The treatment and disposal of tyres from vehicles has long been an issue of considerable importance to the environmental implications that may exist. The main element of difficulty consists in the mixed composition of the tyres. Studies have been made to modify the structure of the tyres, especially with reference to the percentage of incorporation granulated rubber, in order to improve their operating performances, but also reduce the environmental impact that they cause during the normal functioning (noise, particulates, etc.) and facilitate the process of recycling and final disposal. In the assessment of the environmental implications of different solutions on the composition of the tyres, two aspects result of fundamental importance: the feasibility to easily separate the different components, retrieving them to the recycling processes, and the behaviour on the End-of Life stage of the composite frame. Very different assessments can be made if the final disposal of such a waste finds its place in a landfill, or if it is combusted in a waste to energy combustion system or more. An adequate End-of Life planning can be an important issue when developing a sustainable product, since it can highly influence its overall life cycle performance. The present study aims to make a review on how the used tyres are treated and disposed of in two different countries of the EU, assessing the evolving trend and making comparisons between two important EU realities: Italy, as country with major industrial traditions, being part of the European Union since its inception, and Romania, as emerging country, whose economic and industrial development has had a major boost in recent years, with strong growth in waste production, together with the consumption, in particular in urban areas, and recent inclusion within the European community.