For most people, a worn-out tire marks the end of the road. At TRACC Tire Recycling in Minto, it marks the beginning of something new. With support from Opportunities NB (ONB), the company’s new tire shredding and processing line is boosting productivity, creating new revenue opportunities, and ensuring more materials are given a second life instead of ending up in a landfill.
For 28 years, TRACC, now an affiliate within the Municipal Group of Companies, has been New Brunswick’s only tire recycling company. Since opening in 1997, the company has diverted more than 500 million pounds of rubber from landfills by turning used tires into value-added products.
Following Municipal Group’s acquisition of TRACC, it became clear the company’s aging equipment could no longer keep pace with demand. Production of crumb rubber, a material used as an alternative to crushed rock and in the manufacture of rubber mats and many other products, was limited to less than one ton per hour, forcing the company to import additional material from the U.S.
The new processing line has transformed that operation.
“We went from three quarters of a ton per hour to over three tons per hour in our crumb manufacturing,” said Bev Connell, Director, Municipal Group of Companies. “We no longer need to import crumb from the U.S. for the manufacturing of our mats for one of our significant Canadian customers, and for the first time we’re producing everything for that customers’ markets across the world right here in Minto.”
The increased capacity has also improved efficiency across the facility. Where TRACC once required two or even three production shifts each day to meet demand, the company now operates with a single production shift, allowing it to redeploy employees to other parts of the business.
New Products Through Innovation
The new equipment is also helping TRACC achieve another important goal: finding value in every part of the recycling process.
“In the process of manufacturing crumb rubber, you separate the rubber from the steel in the tires,” Connell said. “The steel that was produced here had been landfilled for the past 25 years, and we saw that as an opportunity to clean it and get it to a state that we could then sell the recycled steel.”
TRACC has since secured a three-year agreement with a steel recycling company that will purchase all the recycled steel produced in Minto, further reducing waste while creating an additional revenue stream.
Support from ONB played a key role in making the project possible. “ONB provided us with some great information on the programs that were available,” Connell said. “Their support with this new shredding equipment has been a huge benefit to us.”
With greater production capacity, stronger sustainability outcomes, and expanded access to international markets, TRACC is demonstrating how strategic investment and collaboration can help New Brunswick companies innovate, grow, and build a more sustainable future.
Learn more at https://www.tracc.ca/.
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