Support for Improved Scrap Tire Re-use and Recycling Decisions

Abstract

This paper explores the challenges of decisions which must be made in waste management regarding their complexity in terms of factors influencing them from different domains. These include the economic, ecological, legal and social domains. The objective of this paper is to develop improved decision-making about the treatment of end-of-life of tires (scrap tires) by taking into account a multi-dimensional perspective instead of one single focus, e.g. only environmental indicators. It is argued that such decisions are too complex to be fully understood by a single decision maker since no-one knows all the facts. The paper proposes to develop a new software tool to support a decision making process, which will lower transaction costs and find a better balance between economic and ecological drivers for decisions to be made about waste management in general and for scrap tires in particular. This paper contributes to the debate on Life Cycle Assessment and on market drivers. The focus of this paper is the cascade use of scrap tires and their conversion into new products.