RJJ Expanding Tire Recycling Operations

RJJ Tire Co., Inc. will locate a tire recycling facility in Shenandoah County, Va. RJJ Tire will move its existing operation and seven employees from adjoining Frederick County, investing $3.1 million and creating 28 additional jobs. Virginia successfully competed with West Virginia for the project.

RJJ Tire Co., Inc. is a recycling facility that reprocesses old tires into rubber crumb, steel and fiber products. The new facility will recycle used tires into crumb rubber for such uses as mulch in playgrounds. In addition to the end product, this process helps to dispose of waste tires in a useful, environmentally sound way rather than utilizing landfills.

The company will continue to operate its tire collection facility in Winchester, Va. That facility, according to Jeff Bussert, partner in RJJ Tires, handles around 250,000 tires per year.

 “We are thrilled at the opportunity to be a Shenandoah County partner,” said Bussert. “Our tire recycling facility will provide new jobs in the community while producing a valuable and forgotten resource. Our location choice was an obvious one for our company. It enables us to cover a wider area of Virginia thereby allowing us to better serve the Commonwealth.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership prepared the state’s proposal and negotiated an incentive package to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Warner approved $50,000 from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Shenandoah County with the project. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Shenandoah County also assisted RJJ Tire with its expansion decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will support the project with its Workforce Services Program.

The company expects to be up and operational by early next year. When operating at peak capacity the facility will be able to process around 2.5 million tons per year.

The company will be installing an Eldan tire shredder, purchased through Wendt Corp., to do the brunt of the processing.

Bussert notes that the company decided to move from just collecting tires at its facility in Winchester, Va., to processing due to an improved market for shredded tires.