November 26, 2019 (LaGrange, GA) — Liberty Tire Recycling announced today that they will be matching the first $5,000 donated to The Ray on Georgia Gives Day, December 3, 2019.
Georgia Gives Day falls each year on Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and is an opportunity for Georgians to take one day out of the shopping season to prioritize philanthropy and support nonprofits’ missions and year-round work.
Liberty Tire Recycling and The Ray are natural partners and have worked together on a signature project of The Ray – a two-mile rubberized asphalt paving project adjacent to The Ray’s 18 miles of I-85 in west Georgia. In 2017, the two partnered with Troup County to pave the new Tom Hall Parkway with 3,280 tons of rubberized asphalt paving mix using 39,360 pounds of rubber from scrap tires. This year, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration funded a one mile test section of rubberized asphalt on all four interstate lanes of The Ray, from the Georgia-Alabama state line to mile marker one, as well as the entire parking lot of the Georgia Visitor Information Center in West Point. Approximately 42,240 pounds of rubber from scrap tires were upcycled into 3,520 tons of rubberized asphalt paving mix.
Rubberized asphalt roads are a boon to the surrounding community. First, they remove scrap tires out of landfills or illegal dumps where they are breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes and fire hazards. Those tires are then upcycled into a premium road that lasts 50 to 100 percent longer, are quieter, adept at managing stormwater, and are resistant to cracking, even in extreme temperatures.
“Quiet, resilient and safe roads are core to our vision for the highway of the future,” said Harriet Anderson Langford, founder and president of The Ray. “We are so grateful for this support on Georgia Gives Day from our partners at Liberty Tire Recycling.”
“Liberty Tire Recycling and The Ray believe that innovation can make roads safer,” said Dewey Grantham, regional Vice President of Liberty Tire Recycling. “Innovation in transportation can be complicated – but it can also be simple. Using scrap tire rubber in the road asphalt is one of those simple innovations that benefits everyone. Roads are safer and quieter to drive on, they have a longer life, and they are crack resistant. The rubber road on The Ray’s interstate is what Ray Anderson would call ‘so right and so smart.’ This is why Liberty and The Ray are perfect partners for road safety, sustainability, and innovative pavement.”
“Liberty Tire Recycling was one of the very first partners of The Ray and continues to support our work in Georgia and across the country. In this season of giving, we are grateful for their commitment to sustainability and their generosity on Georgia Gives Day,” said Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray.
For more information about The Ray’s Georgia Gives Day Campaign please visit their campaign webpage. Donations are being accepted now.
ABOUT THE RAY
The Ray is a proving ground for the evolving ideas and technologies that will transform the transportation infrastructure of the future, beginning with the corridor of road that is named in memory of Ray C. Anderson (1934-2011), a Georgia native who became a captain of industry and was recognized as a leader in green business when he challenged his company, Atlanta-based Interface, Inc., to reimagine the enterprise as a sustainable company—one that would pursue zero environmental footprint. Chaired by Ray’s daughter Harriet Langford, The Ray is an epiphany of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Learn more.
ABOUT LIBERTY TIRE RECYCLING
Liberty Tire Recycling is the premier provider of tire recycling services in North America. By recycling more than 150 million tires annually, Liberty reclaims about 2.2 billion pounds of rubber for innovative, useful products. The recycled rubber produced by Liberty is used as crumb rubber and industrial feedstock for molded products; as tire-derived fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants; and as rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds. The company maintains a network of processing plants and comprehensive door-to-door collection services. Learn more.