This is a really great thing. However, like many good ideas and products in today's market, there is a downside... Like with much processed lumber, there are hazerdous chemicals involved. I am not well versed on the subject of rubber production, but I *think* one of the key chemicals in creating rubber and rubberized materials is benzine (a very bad chemical for environment and people indeed). So, you have to consider this when thinking about rubber pavers and all that with offgassing and water runoff, etc... Hopefully there is a treehugger reader who is more in the know and can correct me if I am mistaken.

This looks like a nifty idea...but I wonder how they would hold up in the northeast, faced with salt, frequent shoveling, and the occasional use of tools to hack off accumulated ice.

The flyer available on their site indicates that the product has been subjected to various forms of testing (sun exposure, freeze/thaw cycles, salt), so perhaps they have all this covered. Most of the existing installations appear to be in California (although there are a few in New York), so real-world data looks like it's slim right now.

Chris: as the post says, the product is made from 100% recycled tire rubber. It's my understanding that tire waste is a relatively large problem in the US - huge piles of worn-out, discarded tires sit around by themselves or in landfill. Whatever damage there is from the manufacturing of the tires has already been done; if they can offgas nasty things they probably did so when they were being driven. Likewise, if bad things can leach out of them, there's probably a lot of it in the environment from all the tiny rubber dust particles that must result from normal wear and tear on tires (when tires wear down, that rubber has to go somewhere). I don't know what process is used to change the rubber from tires to pavers, so that could potentially be bad, but given that recycled tire rubber is used in lots of small-scall products for indoor use (placemats, etc) I doubt there are many problems with chemicals leaching out of it. My perspective is that this product could be good for trees and maintenance costs, but also provide a good sink for huge amounts of worn-out tires that would otherwise be waste.

Also, please forgive the nit-picking, but I feel compelled to correct the spellings of 'benzene' and 'hazardous'.

Our tipster, Joanne D., set off to find some answers. She received this from the president of Rubbersidewalks:
"Our product is made with recycled tire rubber and a polyurethane resin that has been used globally for decades. The finished product is an inert solid. Even were it to break down, over time, there is nothing toxic or unfriendly in the material."
Thanks again!

In addition to being hazardous to the environment and potentially people in the long-term, these could be hazardous to some people immediately. I don't know how much rubber compound or dust is released, but for there are more and more individuals who are allergic to rubber.

As one of those individuals, I dread the introduction of new and innovative uses of rubber -- the proliferation of shredded tires as rock-climbing gym flooring and indoor soccer fields with rubber beads in the turf have essentially cut me off from those sports entirely. I'd rather not have to avoid certain sidewalks, too.

O, if you're allergic to rubber, you'd probably have more of an issue walking next to a street than you would walking on this.

I would agree with the posters who maintain, although not perfect, this product is superior to a poured concrete paver.

There is no such thing as a free lunch thermodynamically. Mining gravel, manufaturing portland cement and then mixing up and delivering concrete is a very energy intensive thing to do. Of course, grinding and mixing up old recycled tires with a binder and then molding, delivering them to site takes energy as well, but I bet if you did a life cycle analysis of concrete vs recycled rubber pavers then this would win hands down.

The whole reduce-reuse-recycle motto depends not just on folks recycling their cans and paper, but closing the loop by buying and using products made from recyled materials. I plan on using this product for my small patio istead of concrete pavers. IT looks good too.

I can empathise with the person who is allergic to rubber, but as long as they don't walk around barefood, it might not be a problem. Perhaps the polyurethane resin will reduce or prevent the allergen. I wonder what kind of shoes he/she/you wears, because almost all shoes I have seen have rubber on the bottom.

Overall this seems like it would be very good for the envirnoment, although it is concerning that common chemical like chlorine and certain oils could damage the rubber. Ideally these chemicals would never be spilled on the sidewalk, but needless to say this is not an ideal world.

I forgot to mention that traction is another concern, especially in wet wheather and uphill. The website didn't mention anything about the draction of the material.

Check this out here with regard to the best way to 100% recycle those huge piles of used tyres, including using using some of the reclaimed product to power the "en-tyre" process. The Molectra reclcle system would be a great back end to these path tiles.