With an overall goal to eliminate the amount of waste tyres disposed of in California, The California Integrated Waste Management Board is sponsoring the "Tire-Derived sustainable building product design competition," presented by the California Exposition and State Fair. The competition provides companies and individuals with an opportunity to create and design innovative products using waste tires that would otherwise end up in California landfills.

"In 2002, California generated 33.5 million waste tyres," said Rosario Marin, Chair of the California Integrated Waste Management Board. "Fortunately, about three quarters of those tyres were diverted to constructive uses, but 8.4 million tyres were shredded and disposed of in our state‘‘s landfills. Our goal is to turn every used tyre into a viable and useable product."

The design competition is focused on encouraging companies and individuals to develop prototypes of building or landscape products that are designed and crafted with tires, crumb rubber, and/or other tyre-derived materials from California‘‘s waste stream. The desired outcome of this competition is to create constructive ways to use waste tires and to develop markets for the new products.

Entry into the competition is free and open to individuals, groups, students, inventors, or companies who reside in California. Completed entry forms must be postmarked or entered on-line by June 24, 2005, and actual, physical entries will be due at the California State Fair between July 5 -15, 2005.

Submission requirements include a drawing, rendering, or comp of product prototype, a description that follows the requirements of the evaluation criteria including the industry application, the percent of recycled material used, and the projected cost of production. Entry must also include an actual prototype, sample or model of the product (scale versions are acceptable)