The Circular Economy Development Center (CEDC), a State of Colorado program operated by Circular Colorado, successfully established a public-private partnership that addresses one of the state’s most significant environmental challenges—waste tires. As a result of this partnership, within three years, more than 50% of tires generated each year in Colorado will be repurposed into high performance, sustainable barriers.
For years, Colorado has been burning, burying and stockpiling waste tires. After meeting with Pretred, a Colorado-based innovator using proprietary processes to turn literally tons of waste tires into high performance barriers , Laurie Johnson, the CEO of Circular Colorado, saw an immediate opportunity. The crumb rubber, a material made by grinding up recycled rubber into small, granular particles, that Pretred’s products are made from was being imported from other states.
“We saw an immediate opportunity to address Colorado’s waste tire problems, reduce carbon emissions due to hauling crumb rubber across the country, support a local manufacturer by increasing operational efficiencies, and positively impact the economy by bringing jobs to Colroado” said Johnson. “We realized we could help Pretred expand its operations in Colorado and create a circular business model that keeps tires in use in perpetuity.”
CEDC staff worked for more than a year developing the project, bringing together all the key stakeholders involved in waste tire recycling. The CEDC provided the technical support, supply-chain development, and grant development services for Pretred to develop a vertically integrated manufacturing solution which includes the processing of Colorado’s waste tires into crumb rubber. Seeing the social, economic, and environmental benefits of this solution, Pretred was awarded an $11.2M grant from the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise to support in the operationalization of this solution.
The development of a circular waste tire solution aligns with Circular Colorado’s broader mission of developing circular economy solutions across industries. The CEDC is now replicating this collaborative approach across other high-impact waste streams, including plastics, textiles, electronic waste, and construction materials.
ABOUT THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Circular Economy Development Center is a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment program, funded through the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise, designed and operated by Circular Colorado. Its mission is to grow and create markets for recycled commodities and facilitate necessary infrastructure, systems, logistics, and marketing to create a sustainable circular economy in Colorado. www.coloradocedc.org
ABOUT CIRCULAR COLORADO
Circular Colorado’s mission is to establish circular economies in Colorado by attracting and growing companies along the circular supply chain and developing solutions for businesses and local communities to overcome barriers for entry into the circular economy. www.circularcolorado.org
ABOUT PRETRED
Pretred, a Colorado company, is a clean-tech manufacturer committed to addressing
environmental challenges and advancing a circular economy. They use innovative,
proprietary technology to transform waste tire material, known as crumb rubber or “CR”,
into industrial barriers. Their waste-to-value process results in a carbon-negative
product that is the only sustainable alternative to concrete barriers. www.pretred.com
ABOUT THE CIRCULAR COLORADO COMMUNITIES ENTERPRISE
The Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is a statewide program dedicated to supporting Colorado’s communities, businesses, nonprofits, schools, institutions of higher learning, and tribes to advance the state’s transition to a circular economy. C3 provides financial and technical assistance to enhance circularity across the state and helps organizations achieve their waste aversion and diversion goals. www.coloradocircularcommunities.org