Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/330408
26 | ZZZFHGPDJFRP | Construction Equipment Distribution | June 2014 A Closer Look Down along a side road in rural Eastern Ontario just east of Canada's capital city, an unlikely facility is crush- ing and grinding away, turning something old and unwanted into something new and useful. It's all thanks to the gradual discovery in recent years that cast-off tires in all sizes are good for more than just land filler and ditch decorations. They can be turned into such handy items as livestock mats and roofing – at a price provided by tire consumers! The farm country presence of Moose Creek Tire Recycling (MCTR) – named after the closest community – has been welcomed by all. Neighbors, politicians, local reporters – they all turned up late last year when MCTR was officially unveiled. It was set up as a sideline business by company president Andre Lafleche, who 15 years ago opened nearby Eastern Ontario Waste Handling in what is fundamentally a bog. That was to serve the general disposal needs of the residential, commercial, industrial and institutional sectors from as far away as Toronto, about 300 miles to the west. Tire recycling eventually became a natural offshoot of the central operation. A few years ago, Lafleche's main landfill and recycling business was sold off to TransForce Inc., a transportation and logistics company operating across North America with related interests such as waste management. Sensing the vast future potential, Lafleche held on to and expanded the $18 million tire recycling plant and entered into a partnership with Quebec-based manufacturer Animat, shipping heavy-duty livestock mats around the world. Much of the Moose Creek product is directed into the U.S. All-size tire recycling has become the darling among environmentally friendly businesses across North America. Officials in any municipality are pleased to support a practical use for all the scrap tires that once ended up in landfill, tossed along back roads, burned, or piled into a blight on rural properties. Moose Creek officials are no different; besides, the recycling plant has created 45 much-needed local jobs. End-of-life tires were stashed on private land or discarded in public places rather than carted to municipal dumps because fees were applied in accepting the worthless rubber. Now that old tires have gained value, dump fees in most cases have been lifted and tire piles are regularly removed by collectors who sell them to processors such as MCTR. Partnering with Animat, Canada's largest tire recycler, is what turned the corner for MCTR: "They've been in the Ontario's Big Fat Fees Machinery end-users and dealers want a simplified structure – and a little less gouging on industrial-size tires. BY TOM VAN DUSEN FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH Canadian Tire Recycling and