The use of tyre bales with conventional forms of geosynthetic

The disposal of used tyres is a problem of international significance. In the European Community nations sending whole tyres and shredded tyres to landfill were banned in 2003 and 2006 respectively. A range of sustainable solutions that allow the reuse and recycling of used tyres is urgently required. One such solution is the manufacture of tyre bales which comprise approximately 100 whole tyres compressed into a rectilinear block. The bales are lightweight / low density, high permeability, high porosity and high friction and thus ideally suited to many construction applications. Most tyre bale applications in construction are best achieved in tandem with the use of a conventional planar geosynthetic to aid separation, reinforcement and / or filtration. Several of tyre bale applications are examined, including road foundations over soft ground, slope failure repair, lightweight embankment fill and drainage layers.