Used cured tire fill still has value.
When a flatproofed tire reaches the end of its service life, the cured polyurethane inside doesn’t necessarily have to become waste. With the right technology, that material can be reclaimed —helping reduce waste while decreasing the amount of virgin material required.
But how that material is reused matters.
Controlled tire fill recycling and a practice commonly known as “chunking” both involve putting previously used material back to work. On the surface, that may make the two approaches sound similar.
They’re not.
The difference lies in how the reclaimed material is prepared, processed, and incorporated into the new fill. For tire dealers and equipment owners, understanding that distinction is important because successful recycling isn’t simply about using less virgin material. It’s about doing so while maintaining the consistent flatproofing performance the application requires.
What Is Chunking?
Chunking is a relatively simple approach to reusing cured tire fill. Pieces of previously used fill are placed inside a tire, and the remaining space is filled with virgin liquid material.
The appeal is easy to understand: reuse material that’s already available and reduce the amount of new fill required.
The problem is that reusing material and recycling it through a controlled process are two very different things.
Chunks of cured fill can vary in size, hardness, chemical composition, condition, and previous operating history. Large pieces of old material are also physically different from the new liquid fill surrounding them.
Without a controlled method for preparing and blending those materials, it becomes difficult to create consistent characteristics throughout the filled tire.
And in demanding OTR applications, consistency matters.
Why Material Consistency Matters
Flatproofing has an important job to do beyond eliminating puncture-related air loss.
The cured fill supports the equipment and its load while flexing with the tire as the machine travels across the ground. Its physical properties influence ride, deflection, heat generation, and overall tire performance.
That’s where the differences created by chunking become important.
Large pieces of previously cured material may not integrate uniformly with the surrounding virgin fill. Differences in material properties, including durometer and composition, can create inconsistencies within the tire as it repeatedly flexes under load.
Those inconsistencies can contribute to internal friction and heat generation during operation. Excessive heat is particularly important in OTR tire applications because it can affect not only the fill but also the tire casing itself.
What initially appears to be a material-saving strategy can therefore introduce variables that affect the performance and service life of the complete tire assembly.
How Controlled Tire Fill Recycling Is Different
TyrFil™ Recycling Technology was developed to take a more controlled approach to material reuse.
Rather than placing large pieces of cured fill directly into another tire, reclaimed tire fill is processed into a form that can be precisely incorporated with virgin TyrFil using specialized recycling equipment.
The system controls how reclaimed and virgin materials are metered and blended before the material enters the tire.
That’s the critical difference.
Instead of creating separate masses of old and new material within the tire, controlled recycling is designed to produce a more consistent mixture with predictable characteristics throughout the fill.
That allows dealers to reclaim useful material while maintaining the processing control needed for dependable flatproofing performance.
Reuse That Supports Performance
The purpose of recycling isn’t simply to use as much old material as possible.
It’s to keep useful material in service without sacrificing the performance customers expect from flatproofing.
TyrFil Recycling Technology can incorporate up to 65% reclaimed tire fill, significantly reducing the amount of virgin petrochemical material required for a new fill. At the same time, it helps divert used polyurethane material from landfills and can reduce associated disposal needs.
That creates value at several levels.
For dealers, previously used tire fill can become a valuable input rather than material that must simply be discarded. Less virgin material is required, and less used fill needs to be managed as waste.
For equipment owners, controlled recycling provides an opportunity to benefit from material reuse while maintaining a flatproofing solution designed for demanding OTR applications.
And from a broader sustainability perspective, it extends the useful life of material that has already been manufactured rather than treating it as disposable at the end of a tire’s service life.
A Better Use for Used Tire Fill
Chunking and controlled recycling begin with the same basic opportunity: previously used tire fill that may still have value.
The difference is how that value is recovered.
Simply placing pieces of cured material into another tire may reduce the amount of virgin fill used, but it doesn’t provide the same control over how old and new materials are incorporated.
TyrFil Recycling Technology takes a different approach—using specialized equipment and controlled processing to put reclaimed material back to work while supporting the consistency required for demanding OTR applications.
It’s a more thoughtful approach to material reuse: one designed to reduce waste, conserve virgin material, and maintain the performance equipment owners depend on.
Because sustainability shouldn’t require a choice between using less and performing well.
With the right technology, you can do both.
Carlisle TyrFil. We Keep the World Rolling.