CONTACT:
Charles Nygard
Global Recycling Technology Group
http://www.grtginc.com
July 22, 2005
King of Prussia, PA
RECYCLING GROUP DEVELOPING NEW APPLICATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO ELIMINATE TIRE INCINERATION
Great strides have been made in the U.S. to eliminate discarded scrap tires from being dumped in our landfills. But where are a majority of the scrap tires going and what markets are being served? The answer may surprise you. A majority of scrap tires are grinded and reduced into chips and incinerated as a source of fuel. Global Recycling Technology Group (GRTG), a metro-Philadelphia based firm, is currently developing new products in an effort provide sustainable markets for recycled rubber in an effort to reduce emissions emitted by incinerated tires.
GRTG, which utilizes patented and proprietary recycling technology, has developed a new railroad crosstie manufactured from recycled rubber and plastic. The new crossties are targeted to the railroad industry that consumes around 17 million chemically treated wooden crossties per year. GRTG will place their first crossties on rail tracks located close to their manufacturing facility located in King of Prussia, PA.
Nearly 45% of all collected scrap tires are incinerated. There are opponents to this practice who claim that tire incineration releases deadly dioxins into the environment. The U.S. EPA says: "Exposure to dioxin, even at minute levels, poses cancer risks and health concerns wider than previously suspected, including possible damage to the immune and reproductive systems." In response to these risks, GRTG's mission is " To develop and implement innovative and creative technological solutions to assure high value reprocessing of scrap rubber tires."
GRTG management has extensive experience in the recycled rubber markets. Mike Hovsepian, CEO of Global Rubber, USA and one of the founders of GRTG, has been developing new markets for scrap tires for nearly 17 years. " There are many useful products that can be manufactured using scrap tires. The process of incineration, or burning, scrap tires could be eliminated through the creation of new applications involving sustainable products within the rubber market", said Hovsepian.
GRTG plans to complete installation of the first crossties in the Fall, 2005.