During 2011 some 320,000 tons of used and scrap tires, corresponding to 64 million tires from tourism vehicles, were taken out of circulation through environmentally correct treatment by Brazilian industry. Around 63 percent of the tires were used to produce alternative fuel for the cement industry. A smaller portion were used in the production of shoe soles, flooring for sports facilities, rubberized asphalt and other materials, according to Reciclanip, an association of companies in the sector that collect and recycle scrap tires.

"This amount of material means that the volume of waste removed from the environment is equivalent to what is added in the form of new tires," stressed Cesar Faccio, general director of Reciclanip.

In the future, the main use of the tires will be for the production of rubberized asphalt, since many state governments in Brazil are adopting laws requiring its use on highways, Faccio told Tierramérica.