Under the Landfill Directive, whole tyres were banned from landfill in July 2003 and shredded tyres will be banned from July 2006. The UK government has been considering producer responsibility as a way of funding the move away from landfill. A decision had been expected from the DTI last week, but it is now thought likely sometime this summer.
Ian Bryan, a consultant and a member of the Used Tyre Working Group, told letsrecycle.com: “At the last meeting of the Used Tyre Working Group the DTI confirmed that they are close to completing their consideration on producer responsibility.”
The government has been considering three main options on the level of intervention it will impose on the industry, ranging from keeping the current system of no intervention to setting obligations for tyre producers to pay for recycling.
Mr Bryan said he believes the government is unlikely to place any obligations on tyre producers, but should tighten existing reporting systems for tyre collectors and reprocessors. “We believe for that they are going to want statutory reporting for used tyres in the form of duty of care. They could enhance obligations on collectors and reprocessors of used tyres, but it is not necessary to put an obligation on the producer,” he said.
If obligations are placed on tyre producers, the government could use a system similar to the packaging waste regulations. This would see tyre manufacturers and importers legally required to prove tyres have been recovered on their behalf.
But because so much capacity for granulating (see letsrecycle.com story), recycling and energy recovery for tyres has emerged in the past year, it seems unlikely the government will impose such strict requirements on tyre producers.
The government is keen to get a system in place at least a year before the complete ban on the landfilling of tyres, which comes into affect in 2006.
Subscribe for free