Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) has launched its 2025 Market Development Fund, with a renewed focus on developing practical, high-impact solutions that use tyre-derived materials (TDM). As part of this year’s push, TSA is highlighting the opportunity for Queensland to lead Australia’s circular economy by adopting rubberised roads at scale.
The Fund is open to businesses, researchers, and government bodies developing new uses for Australian-processed TDM. Funding typically ranges from $50,000 to $300,000 (excluding GST), and is available for projects in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, product development, and research.
Since inception, the fund has contributed over $10 million to more than 70 projects, including:▪ UV-resistant roads by RMIT University
▪ Noise-reducing acoustic walls from Flexiroc and UNSW
▪ Safety barriers developed by Saferoads and the University of Melbourne
▪ Play and sports surfaces by A1 Rubber
▪ Permeable pavements for urban stormwater mitigation
With Expressions of Interest open until 9 May 2025, TSA is encouraging regional and state-level actors to develop place-based solutions — particularly in Queensland, where the tyre waste challenge is acute.
Queensland generates approximately 112,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres each year across sectors such as mining, civil construction, and agriculture. While 60% of this material is collected and processed, largely in the Southeast, regional areas face low recovery rates due to long distances and limited infrastructure, fuelling illegal stockpiling and dumping.
In response, TSA is calling for action:
“Putting crumb rubber in roads is a winning circular economy formula already happening across Australia and around the world... It’s time for Queensland State and Local Government to start mandating their roads be made using Australian crumb rubber,” said TSA CEO Lina Goodman.
According to TSA, building strong end-markets for crumb rubber is key to lifting investor confidence and supporting new infrastructure in regional Queensland.
Recent research from the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) shows that using crumb rubber in bitumen enhances road durability, flexibility, and crack resistance, offering comparable or superior performance to traditional polymer-modified binders.
TSA’s own emissions study found that wet process crumb rubber binders reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 7% compared to conventional PMBs — with even greater gains in sprayed seals and permeable pavement applications.
“Industry is ready, educated and waiting to implement without hassle or risk,” Goodman added. “This simple step by all levels of the Queensland Government will pack a huge punch for South West and North and Far North Queensland.”
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