An increased demand for shingles has led a tire recycling company in Minto, New Brunswick to hire 30 new workers to process rubber tires into plastic shingles that look like slate.
Despite hard times in the village for years, including plant closures, the Tire Recycling Atlantic Canada Corporation now has a deal with a distributor based in the United Kingdom, where slate is becoming harder to find.
With a population of just 2,600, 30 new jobs could mean a lot for the village of Minto.
According to its website, the Tire Recycling Atlantic Canada Corporation operates in a 40,000 square foot facility constructed on a 16.6 acre site. TRACC began full-scale operation in May 1997.
“The Province of New Brunswick disposes of approximately 1,000,000 scrap tires annually,” TRACC states. “Allowing for normal spillage of 20 per cent due to scrap tires being recapped and other uses, TRACC will collect and process approximately 1,000,000 passenger tire equivalents per year. This will represent approximately 13,000,000 pounds of recycled rubber to be processed.”