Design and specification of tyre bales in construction

Around 48 million used tyres are generated in the UK each year and their disposal, no longer permissible via landfill due to the provisions of the European Union Landfill Directive, is thus a considerable problem. By no means restricted to the UK and other parts of Europe, this problem has a truly international complexion as other regions seek to address the problem of used tyre disposal. The compression of whole tyres into rectilinear tyre bales for use in construction is one possible means of addressing the problem. This paper assesses the recently published British Standards publicly available specification (PAS) 108 for the production of tyre bales for use in construction. Issues with respect to input materials (tyres), the production of tyre bales and the use of tyre bales are covered. Information on the properties and behaviours of tyre bales are described, as are suggested methods of measurement. General construction considerations and specific applications for tyre bales are highlighted along with end of service life options.