Twyford Recycling, a specialist tyre recycling operation, has partnered with the cross-Solent hovercraft ferry service, Hovertravel, to process their used skirt material into 20mm rubber chippings.
Ryan Livett, Facilities Manager at Hovertravel, explains:
“The rubber material which makes up the skirts on our hovercraft degrades slightly through use over time and loses some of its natural bounce.
"For this reason we have a regular programme of replacement and we are always looking for a better way to recycle the used rubber.
"Twyford Recycling is an established company with a recycling facility along the South Coast and they are able to collect and process our rubber waste so that it has a second life.”
The rubber skirt on a hovercraft is used to trap the air underneath the craft and for Hovertravel’s craft it supports up to 45 tonnes, allowing the hovercraft to cross the Solent at speeds of 35 knots up to 70 times per day.
The fingers of the skirt are replaced approximately three times per year to keep the craft operating at their most efficient.
Gerry Harkin, founder and MD of Twyford Recycling, added:
“We are used to recycling any type of tyre; from cars, lorries, coaches, tractors but hovercraft skirts were a first for us.
"To recycle the rubber skirt we pass it through our pre shredder and secondary rasper and granulator machinery just as we would with tyres - this will produce 20mm wire free rubber chippings.
"We then bag these up in one tonne bags where they are either sent off for colourising, used for equestrian or garden mulch or are repurposed in manufacturing.”
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