Jamaica: Used tyres to be utilized in asphalt

The government plans to use tyres for road construction

In Jamaica, the National Works Agency considers using discarded tyres as crumb rubber, in the making of asphalt for roads, reports the Jamaica Observer. 

The announcement was made by the Minister of State, Everald Warmington. He said that "Rather than costing millions to fight mosquito borne diseases caused by improper disposal of tyres, we are going to be using these same tyres to save costs and build a more resilient road network."

Warmington added that "Rubberised asphalt as it is called contains regular asphalt concrete, which is then mixed with the crumb rubber that comes from waste tyres [...] The chemical composition of crumb rubber has been demonstrated to naturally retard the aging and oxidation of rubberized asphalt pavement, as designed to do in tyres. This product reduces the likelihood of cracks developing along the roads, which inevitably leads to potholes."