Modesto Celebrates Rubber Sidewalk
The city of Modesto, Calif., held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new rubber sidewalk located along Plaza Parkway on Aug. 19.
Rubber sidewalks are a great example of "closing the loop" on recycling. Waste tires from Modesto are processed into small chips and sold as feedstock to make innovative products such as rubber sidewalk "tiles" and rubber "bricks." Unlike cement sidewalks, rubber tiles can be removed to allow for tree root maintenance and then be reset into place. One passenger tire is recycled into one square foot of material. The city purchased 10,100 square feet of product with grant funds awarded by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.