There I was—happy, cheerful and content—driving back from the Sao Paulo countryside after the Carnaval holiday when I suddenly saw a sign: “Ecological rubber tire asphalt.” I smiled from cheek to cheek. How nice!

There are several kinds of asphalt. If I’m not mistaken, all of them use some oil in their composition. The difference is that 20% of eco-asphalt is made up of old, ground up tires, according to the Setor Reciclagem website.

According to a company called Greca Asfaltos, 54.5 million tires were manufactured in 2006. In 1999, it was estimated that more than 10 million tires had been disposed of. Note. Midas Elastômeros do Brasil, a company that turns tires into rubber ground, says that their technology is Brazilian.

And more. Besides the obvious advantage of using something which could otherwise pollute the environment, the eco-asphalt is 40% more resistant than conventional asphalt—some researchers say that it can last up to 5.5 times longer too, see source here.

So, here’s the question that everybody wants to ask. If this alternative is more efficient and ecologically correct, why don’t all of the cities and road operating companies opt for rubber asphalt?