Fenner Conveyors and Tyrecycle have teamed up to turn one of mining’s most stubborn waste streams into a closed-loop resource.

Mining is an industry built on movement, with conveyor belts providing the basis for ore transportation from one cog in the value chain to the next.

When belts reach the end of their service life, the question of what to do with them has, until now, been met with few viable answers.

This is changing thanks to a new partnership between Fenner Conveyors and Tyrecycle.

The two companies are combining technical expertise, specialised equipment and national reach to recycle used conveyor belts for alternative product streams including new conveyor belts.

Years in the making, the initiative takes advantage of significant new local infrastructure investments by both businesses in Western Australia.

Fenner’s soon-to-be-commissioned rubber mixing facility at its Kwinana manufacturing hub, paired with Tyrecycle’s East Rockingham processing plant, creates a powerful co-located recycling ecosystem.

Under the program, Fenner’s service teams remove old conveyor belts during scheduled changeouts or from existing storage areas, utilising in-house belt handling equipment developed specifically for harsh mining conditions.

These are then transported directly to Tyrecycle’s facilities in either Port Hedland or  East Rockingham.

Tyrecycle processes the belts using high-powered Danish-designed equipment, capable of handling the largest steel-cord belts that have historically been too difficult to recycle.

The recovered rubber polymers and steel can be sold to domestic and international markets or, in a first for Australia, be returned to Fenner’s new rubber mixing plant to be reintroduced into the manufacturing of new conveyor belt.

“This is a really important strategic partnership involving a belt specialist with highly specialised equipment and reach into the mining sector,” Tyrecycle chief executive officer Jim Fairweather told Australian Mining.

“Once the end-of-life belt comes to us, we can process it and return it to Fenner’s manufacturing facilities where it is incorporated into new belting products.”

This is no pilot project waiting on future breakthroughs, with more than 1000 tonnes of conveyor belt having already been recycled in trials and accepted by downstream trading partners.

The closed-loop element, which sees recovered rubber sent back into Fenner’s manufacturing stream, is now within reach.

“For years, solutions such as this were always seen as something down the track,” Fenner Conveyors managing director Jen Green told Australian Mining.

“Conveyor belt recycling is here now, on our doorstep and that’s why it’s an exciting partnership.”

Fairweather said while passenger tyres are recycled at a rate of 98 per cent in Australia, mining tyres sit at just one per cent and conveyor belts at close to zero.

“The mining sector has been looking for a solution,” he said. “Our partnership with Fenner means we’re uniquely positioned to meet that unmet demand.”

Central to the partnership is Fenner’s investment in its Kwinana rubber mixing facility.

“Mixing rubber compounds locally allows us to bring raw ingredients together and tailor compounds to different applications, with new mixes tested by our local R&D (research and development) centre,” Green said.

“This partnership enables us to incorporate recycled polymer composites from Tyrecycle, accelerate innovation and new product development, protect IP, and keep manufacturing local in Australia.”

For Tyrecycle, the East Rockingham facility, located just a few kilometres from Fenner’s Kwinana manufacturing plant, was intentionally designed with the capability to process conveyor belts.

“When the plant was built, we knew it would one day process conveyor material,” Fairweather said. “The equipment was specifically designed to handle it from day one.”

For mining companies, the benefits go beyond logistics. Diverting used belts from landfill or long-term storage will limit waste volumes, reduce emissions and contribute to decarbonisation targets.

“Companies all around the world are looking to reduce their waste footprint and increase circularity,” Green said. “Mining clients now have a solution for a waste stream that previously wasn’t available.”

Clients can engage through either Fenner or Tyrecycle, with joint engagement and site visits already underway with some mining customers.

While the partnership’s immediate focus is on Western Australia, where both companies have invested heavily and operate in close proximity, the model is designed for scalability. 

Fenner’s national footprint and Tyrecycle’s growing facilities across Australia create a platform for expansion once the WA operation is optimised.

“These are two established businesses with existing infrastructure, so the scalability opportunity is real,” Fenner Conveyors executive general manager – sales and marketing Trevor Svenson said.

“But first we want to push the limits of what’s possible in WA.”

The partnership’s origin stretches back years. Following recent capital investments and the pairing of Fenner’s Kwinana facility and Tyrecycle’s East Rockingham plant, everything has now fallen into place.

“Fenner and Tyrecycle have always shared similar values and outlooks,” Green said. “With these last pieces in place, the time is right to bring it to our customers.

“The exciting part is we’re not just talking about what could be done, we’re actually doing it.”

For a mining industry seeking credible, immediate steps to achieve sustainability, this partnership could make all the difference.

This article appeared in the October issue of Australian Mining magazine.