Industry slams call to delay landfill ban on shredded tyres

Members of the Association are unhappy that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has suggested that the deadline should be moved back to 30 October, 2007.

The new deadline emerged in a consultation on landfill regulations published shortly before Christmas, which suggested that there should be a single implementation date for all non-hazardous waste to bring them in line with the EU Landfill Directive.

”The market for used tyres is very buoyant at the moment. I think most companies would have no real problems meeting the earlier July 2006 date.“
– Peter Taylor, TRA
Peter Taylor, secretary of the TRA, whose member companies account for some 80% of the reprocessed tonnage of used tyres in the UK, said: “There was genuine disappointment that the date was changed without any notification or warning.”

Progress
Mr Taylor explained: “The industry has been making very good progress improving recovery rates and most companies were very confident that they would meet next year's deadline quite comfortably.

“This decision will only benefit those companies that have failed to invest in new equipment and have continued to rely on landfill disposal to get rid of used tyres,” he said.

TRA members have responded to the consultation through the Used Tyre Working Group, but Mr Taylor said: “We do our best to work closely with the government, so it would have been good to have some prior notification on plans to shift the deadline.

Around 435,000 tonnes a year of used tyres are disposed of in the UK each year, but only a small proportion of shredded tyres now end up in landfill sites. There has been a ban on whole tyres going to landfill since July 2003.

Improvements
New figures from the Department of Trade and Industry are expected to confirm the continuing improvements in recovery rates. The TRA said that demand for used tyres is now beginning to surpass supply in some areas.

Mr Taylor said: “I believe that only around 10% to 12% of tyres go to landfill and there is even a shortage of used tyres in some areas – particularly of the larger truck tyres which have more rubber content.”

TRA member companies are confident that continued improvements in recovery rates will support their case against introducing statutory producer responsibility for tyres. They believe their existing success in recovery compared to waste streams like packaging is an argument in favour of maintaining the status quo.

Mr Taylor said: “The market for used tyres is very buoyant at the moment. I think most companies would have no real problems meeting the earlier July 2006 date.

“Even the 2003 deadline for sending whole tyres to landfill came and went without any major problems and the industry was well prepared for the changes,” he explained.

Dumping
TRA chairman Roger Hicks, who is also managing director of Charles Lawrence International, has said that government intervention to impose a statutory responsibility is one of the key issues facing the tyre recovery sector.

He acknowledged public concern over problems of tyre dumping, but stressed the need for stricter enforcement to protect “responsible recyclers”.

Mr Hicks said: “Anyone involved in the tyre recovery sector has made a major capital investment and those involved need to protect their investment from unscrupulous operators. We need the laws enforced.”