A global problem – transformed into potential

Tyre shredding

Tyres have long been considered too difficult to shred, and simply not worth the effort. However, technology has advanced so that high volumes can be processed safely, efficiently and with minimum machine wear, in line with the waste hierarchy.

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With a staggering 1.5 billion tyres reaching their end-of-life, globally, every year, these complex rubber products have long been a tricky problem for the waste industry to solve. However, tyre shredding innovation has continued at pace, which means everything from standard car/passenger tyres, through to more rugged truck and off the road (OTR) tyres, can now be efficiently processed for a variety of recycling and energy recovery applications with our tyre shredding machines.

View our choices of tyre shredders

Easy maintenance

Particle precision

RS Shredders

High performance

Heavy duty

XR Shredders

A global problem – transformed into potential

How can UNTHA help you shred tyres?

Shredding the 'Unshreddable'

While tyres have long been considered economically unshreddable, the robust single shaft XR tyre shredder series has been specifically designed to process bulky and/or complex input materials, with ease. And for smaller volume tyre shredding, our tried-and-tested four shaft RS series will ensure a robust shred.

Single-Stage Processing

The XR tyre shredder has changed the face of waste shredding globally, due to its ability to achieve a homogenous shred in a single pass, with simple and interchangeable screen and cutter configurations. On-specification particle sizing from 30-400mm can be achieved depending on the onward recycling or energy recovery requirements for the output material.

Maximum Availability

Our heavy-duty tyre shredders with sturdy steel frames and large loading apertures are built to withstand the pressures typically associated with processing tyres. Every design feature contributes to plant uptime, minimal costly wear and maximum ROI.

Unrivalled Performance

Our slow speed, high torque tyre shredders can achieve throughputs of up to 10 tonnes per hour, but energy efficient motors and long service intervals assure the operator of maximum margins, never seen before in this sector.

Optimal Material Recovery

Known for our metal separation qualities – thanks to machines with in-built foreign object protection – UNTHA can effectively liberate steel from rubber. Simple downstream equipment – or the in-built overband magnet on the XR mobil-e – can then extract this valuable resource for recycling, supporting waste hierarchy compliance, boosting the return on the shredder investment and ensuring an on-spec resulting fraction.

Universal Shredding

Our tyre shredders are renowned for flexibility too, meaning you’re not just investing in a tyre shredder –the XR, for instance, can handle MSW, C&I waste, waste wood, mattresses, carpets, textiles, hazardous waste, medical waste, and much more. This future-proofs the operator’s investment as markets continue to evolve.

A global problem – transformed into potential

Why shred tyres?

Despite the world striving to achieve a truly circular economy, end-of-life tyres are difficult and expensive to process. More than 60% are therefore landfilled, stockpiled, fly-tipped or ‘lost’ from the official resource recovery routes, culminating in a colossal global waste problem.

Due to the struggles associated with compliantly managing these bulky, complex products, tyres continue to be one of the biggest issues associated with illegal waste handling, and fires – even if they break out accidentally – are almost impossible to extinguish, plus they release a significant amount of toxic gases and chemicals.

By effectively shredding tyres to produce a homogenous output fraction, the tyres can be transformed into a number of other rubber products that can be used for road base, tip cover, landscaping and playground safety surfaces.

Once other contaminants and recyclates have been removed, the residual material can be used in energy recovery processes, including thermal desorption to produce fuel oils and clean gas for electricity generation, plus an efficient tyre derived fuel (TDF) for the cement industry.

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