Recycling Rubber

Tires from passenger vehicles are more commonly processed to generate the rubber that is used to manufacture Pathway’s products. They are the most common type of tire and the easiest to process. Several materials including rubber, wire, and cord will be extracted from the tire during the processing. These materials are recycled to make new products.

Step #1 – Collect Discarded Tires

It all starts here by collecting an abundance of discarded tires. A Pathway mat will consume a lot of tires. Plateau – over 20 tires, Terra Firma – over 200 tires, Tundra – over 300 tires.

Step #2 - Shredding

The tires are placed in a machine where they are shredded into smaller pieces.

Step #3 – Grinding

The shredded pieces are further reduced in size with a grinding machine. This machine grinds and sorts the ground rubber into sizes ranging from powder to pieces about a ¼ inch in diameter. This material is referred to as crumb.

Step #4 – Steel and Cord Extraction

Steel wire and fiber cords are inserted into tires to provide additional strength. These materials are removed during the recycling process and are shipped to other companies who will process it to make other new products.

Step #5 – Moulding Manufacturing Process

A proprietary molding process is used to manufacture our recycled rubber products. Pathway’s access mats are made by placing rubber crumb, torsion system components, lifting lug assemblies and a binding agent into a mold at ambient temperature. These materials are compressed at upwards of 2000 tons and bond together after a specific time period. This process results in an access mat with some very unique and advantageous characteristics. International patents are pending on several of these innovations.