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Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corporation wants to turn pavements bouncy – using scrap tyres (WO 02/053839). The idea is to make walking easier on the foot. The company suggests grinding down used tyres and removing the metal reinforcements, before mixing the resulting rubber powder with an epoxy resin binder and some plastic filler. Around three parts rubber to one part of binder “creates the same resilience as a golf ball”, says Bridgestone. The mix is then cured into slabs that can be laid over existing paving. And when the slabs wear out there’s always plenty more scrap rubber to replace them.