Auckland company Eco Retainer Limited has developed a concrete retaining-wall system where compressed bales of used tyres (40 truck tyres or 110 car tyres) are encapsulated within a precast concrete block. The blocks are designed with dimples and locating channels to interlock at varying angles allowing for flexibility in construction.
The blocks can be use for:
- retaining walls
- road foundations
- stop banks and sea walls
- landscaping and much more
Wilco produces the blocks in purpose-built steel moulds. The precast units have dimensions of 1.8 x 1.6 x 1 m, volume of 2.88 m³ and weight of 4.0-4.5 tonnes. They can be installed rapidly to produce curved or angled walls while staying interlocked together. Minimum radius is 6 metres. Patterns can be provided on the blocks’ facing planes using simple rebates or more intricate designs from rubber formliners.
New Zealand needs a sustainable solution to solve the used tyre problem… and this is it.
