Scrap tire signs of the times: Weak new tire sales and balder scrap tires
by Mike Breslin

A sluggish economy continues to affect most everyone and everything, including the tire industry. The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) found that new tire shipments for 2012 were stagnant, unchanged from 2011 at approximately 284 million units. The reason – an increase in new vehicle tires was offset by a decrease in replacement tires sales.

However, RMA, which represents U.S. tire manufacturers, sees a slight increase in vehicle miles traveled and anticipated economic growth, which they predict may result in perhaps a 2 percent increase in tire shipments for 2013, or approximately 6 million more units to a total of 290 million units for this year.

At the same time, the RMA said that more than 1 in 8 U.S. vehicles have bald tires, according to a 2012 survey of 5,300 vehicles. It found that more than 13 percent had at least one bald tire, an increase from 10.4 percent recorded in a 2010 survey. Obviously, motorists are postponing buying new tires, a major household budget buster, particularly with higher new tire costs, closely pegged with rising prices of raw materials. ...read more

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Apps that run on smartphones are the latest way for city recycling departments, haulers and others to communicate with citizens about schedules, drop off locations, tips for hard-to-recycle items and other matters. George Dreckmann, recycling coordinator for the city of Madison, Wisconsin, said the ‘my-waste’ app they’ve been supplying free to customers for the past year puts virtually all the information from the recycling department website into a cell phone that fits in residents’ pockets.

Dreckmann was concerned that the city’s existing print publications and website weren’t getting information to an important segment of users. “We were looking for a way to extend our reach into the very mobile portion of our population, the students and some of the younger professionals who are regularly on the move,” Dreckmann said. At $2,700 for initial setup and $3,000 per year in subscription fees, the cost of the app also fit with Dreckmann’s reduced marketing budget. ...read more