Recovery Technology Group Acquires Facility

A national tire recycling company has chosen a defunct plant in Braddock for its regional operations.

Recovery Technology Group Inc., headquartered in New Jersey, shreds and makes crumb rubber from used tires. The company, formerly a part of KTI and Casella Waste, is focused on using its expertise in handling used tires to grow its business.

Earlier this fall the company acquired the former Rochez Brothers tire recycling business. According to local press reports, the company is looking to spend around $1.5 million renovating and updating the plant.

RTG uses a patented technology for chunking and freezing tires in a cryogenic chamber. The tires are then broken down into a powdery substance which is used for park playground surfaces, sports facility flooring and automotive parts, such as car bumpers.

In June, RTG partnered with the Ford Motor Co. to collect Firestone Wilderness AT tires from Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships. Sergi expects the Braddock plant to collect and recycle more than five million tires per year. RTG and Ford have underwritten the cost of resurfacing a playground on Center Street in Braddock made from recycled tires, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette.

According to Marty Sergi, president of RTG, the company has been focused on developing strong relationships with large, national accounts similar to the arrangement with Ford Motor.