A special treatment is being used to add old tires to the asphalt mixes of its toll roads.

According to figures of the Ministry of the Environment, close to 6 million tires are discarded in Chile and of that total, only 17% are recycled. A tire can take 1,000 years to degrade and disappear, so accumulating this product in disuse can become a great environmental problem.

Aware of this issue, in 2015, the VíasChile Group began testing the reuse of tires through process that is innovative and differentiating in Chile. It consists of adding tire dust to the asphalt mixes used for its toll roads.

Patricio González, Project Head of VíasChile, explained the importance of this sustainable process: “Recycled tires are a project that works to the direct benefit of the environment in our country. In Chile, the equivalent to Mount Santa Lucía in tires is discarded each year.  And VíasChile has promised to participate in their recycling in the form of tire dust.”

It is notable that the concessionaire has been looking for sustainable and ecofriendly alternatives for years that will cause less damage to the environment, while at the same time optimizing the repair and paving of toll roads. As emphasized by Jorge Villarroel, the Company’s Chief Technical Officer, “All technological developments used by VíasChile on its toll roads are studied at length and then tested in laboratories to ensure the quality and the outcome for our roads.”