Liberty Tire Recycling

What Liberty Tire Recycling does

Liberty Tire Recycling is the largest tire recycling company in North America, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company operates 50+ collection and processing facilities across the United States and Canada, processing more than 215 million tires annually and reclaiming 4.7+ billion pounds of rubber, with 3,500+ employees. Its core activities span the full tire recycling value chain: collection services from tire retailers, autobody shops, auto dealerships, transfer stations and municipalities; mechanical processing via ambient grinding and cryogenic methods; and conversion into marketable end-products including crumb rubber, tire-derived fuel (TDF), tire-derived aggregate, rubber mulch, reclaimed wire and rubber-modified asphalt.

The company operates proprietary product technologies including SmartMIX®, a dry-mix rubber-modified asphalt additive reported to reduce additive costs by up to 15% and modifier costs by up to 50%, and Mechanical Concrete, a road-foundation system using recycled tire cylinders filled with aggregate. Liberty sells through a multi-channel model: direct B2B sales of commercial products (crumb rubber, TDF, tire-derived aggregate, SmartMIX®) to construction, paving and industrial energy customers; retail distribution of branded landscaping and playground products under names including Rubberific, GroundSmart, Playsafer, Kid Kushion, and GroundSmart; and wholesale used tire resale. The company reports sending 81% of collected material to beneficial reuse and producing 500+ million pounds of crumb rubber annually, with crumb rubber supplied to more than 15,000 athletic fields over 20 years.

Revenue is generated through service fees on tire collection, product sales across B2B and retail channels, and wholesale used tire transactions. The company is owned by infrastructure-focused private equity firm I Squared Capital following its October 2025 acquisition from Energy Capital Partners for approximately $1.5 billion including debt. I Squared has stated plans to fund automation, technology upgrades and further acquisitions. Subsidiaries include IMC Outdoor Living (acquired 2018-2019), Lakin Tire (2018-2021), BAS Recycling (2020-2021) and Rubbercycle (2022).

Name

Liberty Tire Recycling

Legal name

Liberty Tire Recycling, LLC

Website

http://libertytire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Liberty Tire Recycling is the largest North American tire recycler, operating 50+ facilities that collect and process more than 215 million tires annually, converting them into crumb rubber, tire-derived fuel, rubber mulch and rubber-modified asphalt for construction, infrastructure, industrial energy and retail customers across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tire Recycling / Recycled Rubber Products

NAICS

Rubber Product Manufacturing (3262)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)

akta.pro primary industry

Tire Recycling, Disposal & Sustainability Services (TLAKADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tire Recycling & Processing (Shredding, TDF, Pyrolysis Feedstock) (IMANAMAF), Special Waste Transfer (Tires, Mattresses, Appliances) (BPALABAG)

Keywords

• Tire recycling services
• Crumb rubber products
• Tire-derived fuel
• Rubber-modified asphalt
• Scrap tire collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices54 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tire Collection Services: Collection and responsible management of millions of tires annually from tire retailers, autobody shops, auto dealerships, transfer stations, and landfills. Revenue generated through service fees for tire collection and processing.
2. Recycled Rubber Products: Sale of crumb rubber, rubber mulch, tire-derived aggregate, tire-derived fuel, and wire to commercial and industrial customers. Products used in landscaping, playgrounds, infrastructure, construction, and energy applications.
3. Used Tire Sales: Inspection and resale of high-quality used tires into the marketplace as wholesale used tires. Revenue from one-time transactions on used tire sales.
4. Tire-Derived Fuel (TDF): Sale of tire-derived fuel to cement kilns, pulp and paper mills, and power plants as an alternative energy source to coal, oil, and natural gas. Liberty Tire sells more TDF than any other tire processor in North America.
5. Commercial and Retail Products: Sale of branded products including playground surfaces, landscaping materials, rubber-modified asphalt components, and molded rubber goods through commercial B2B channels and retail distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Liberty Tire Recycling collects and processes scrap automobile, truck, and off-road tires through a network of 50+ facilities across the U.S. and Canada, diverting them from landfills. The company transforms these tires into marketable recycled rubber products including crumb rubber, tire-derived fuel, tire-derived aggregate, rubber-modified asphalt (SmartMIX®), reclaimed steel wire, and branded landscaping and playground products sold under names such as Rubberific, GroundSmart, and Playsafer. It also inspects and resells high-quality used tires through wholesale channels.

Product overview

Liberty Tire Recycling is a coast-to-coast North American tire recycling company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centered on collecting, processing, and repurposing end-of-life tires. The company operates collection and processing facilities across the U.S. and Canada and manufactures recycled rubber products through both commercial and retail channels. The core product line includes Crumb Rubber (over 500 million pounds annually), SmartMIX rubber-modified asphalt additive, Tire-Derived Fuel, Tire-Derived Aggregate, and various landscaping and playground products. These are sold under owned brands including Rubberific, GroundSmart, Playsafer, Kid Kushion, AquaBond, and others. The company also resells inspected used tires and provides tire collection services to retailers, auto shops, and municipalities. The products serve applications in infrastructure (rubberized asphalt, road construction), construction, landscaping, playgrounds, sports surfaces, agriculture, and energy production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartMIX: Rubber-modified asphalt additive technology that allows recycled tire rubber to be incorporated as a dry-mix additive into conventional asphalt.
• Access-a-Mat
• AquaBond
• DeckTop
• Paver Tile
• EquiTile
• Genaflex
• Turf System
• GroundSmart
• Kid Kushion
• Playsafer
• RubberBond
• Rubberific
• SportPlay

Products and services

• Crumb Rubber
• SmartMIX®
• Tire-Derived Fuel (TDF)
• Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA)
• Wire
• Commercial Landscaping Products
• Commercial Playground Products
• Retail Landscaping Products
• Retail Playground Products
• Tire Collection Services
• Used Tire Sales
• Mechanical Concrete Road Foundation Solution

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.7+ billion pounds of rubber reclaimed annually
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Century Road SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for mechanical concrete road construction technology using recycled tire cylinders. Century Road Solutions provides the mechanical concrete installation expertise while Liberty supplies processed tire materials. Collaboration on Bulloch County, Georgia Five Chop Road project.
• Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government agency partnership for scrap tire recycling programs including Tire Products Grants and STAR Grants. Liberty participates in state-funded initiatives to develop markets for recycled tire products in road construction and infrastructure.
• Keep Calhoun-Gordon BeautifulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting literacy initiatives and environmental programs. Liberty sponsors tire amnesty events and community recycling programs while also supporting educational initiatives through this nonprofit organization.
• Recycling Association of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partnership hosting facility tours and educational programs. Liberty welcomes RAM members to tour Minnesota operations demonstrating the tire recycling process from collection to finished products.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lehigh Technologies (Yokohama Rubber): Producer of micronized rubber powder from end-of-life tires, now part of Yokohama's Trelleborg Wheel Systems; directly comparable as a tire-to-rubber-material processor serving tire, asphalt, and industrial customers.
• GreenMan Technologies: Public scrap tire recycler operating processing facilities in the U.S.; directly comparable as a North American tire-derived fuel and crumb rubber producer serving similar end markets (TDF, crumb rubber, TDA).
• Genan: Danish-owned tire recycler with operations in Europe and the U.S., producing crumb rubber, rubber granulates, and steel; directly comparable as a large-scale scrap tire recycler turning end-of-life tires into commercial rubber products.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American waste services company with landfill, recycling, and organics operations; comparable as a broad solid-waste incumbent that touches tire/waste streams via transfer stations and recycling facilities, though tires are not its focus.
• Casella Waste Systems: Regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services provider in the U.S. Northeast; comparable as a regional waste services competitor with transfer station and recycling operations that overlap with Liberty's collection footprint in the Northeast.
• Waste Connections: Large North American solid waste services company with vertically integrated collection and disposal assets; comparable as a broad waste services competitor that operates transfer stations and recycling infrastructure overlapping with Liberty's collection network.
• Republic Services: Second-largest U.S. solid waste company with collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal operations; comparable as a broad waste services incumbent that competes for municipal and commercial waste contracts, including scrap tire collection.

Emerging players

• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): Environmental services company backed by KKR and Onex focused on ecological restoration, with former CFO now Liberty's CSO; comparable as a private equity-backed environmental services peer with similar institutional ownership pattern and adjacent sustainability focus.

Regional players

• West Coast Rubber Recycling: California-based scrap tire processor and crumb rubber producer; directly comparable as a regional tire recycler producing crumb rubber and TDA, though operating at a smaller scale and primarily on the U.S. West Coast where Liberty also has facilities.

Others

• Michelin North America: Major tire manufacturer and Liberty's customer (Andrew Meurer, Liberty's President, was Michelin's VP of NA Tire Sales for 12 years); comparable as a customer/ecosystem player that also pursues end-of-life tire circularity through programs like 4R Technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LibertyTireLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liberty-tire-recycling
• Xx.com/libertytireatl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liberty Tire Recycling