The move comes in the run up to a ban on the disposal of whole tyres to landfill, which comes into force on July 16, 2003. Shredded tyres will be banned from landfill disposal in 2006.
The Environment Agency has said that tyres are not household waste, and local authorities are not obligated to provide these kind of containers for household waste recycling centres (see letsrecycle.com story). But Leeds city council sees the new containers as providing a service and believes they will cut down on fly-tipping.
 Leeds councillor Gerry Harper with tyres collected at the Meanwood Road site |
Councillor Gerry Harper explained: “It is now easier than ever to do the right thing with used tyres. There is simply no excuse for dumping them. We will now be taking much tougher action against the minority who continue to flytip. A specialist Environment Enforcement team is already being set up, and offenders can expect to be caught and to pay a hefty fine.”
Almost 6,000 tyres were illegally dumped in Leeds in 2002, costing the council about 25,000 to remove. It is thought a large proportion of this was dumped by “unscrupulous” traders, but private citizens are also thought to have played a part.
The first household waste recycling site to receive the new containers was at Meanwood Road, but seven other household waste recycling sites in the city now have the containers for tyres.
The tyres collected will go to Sheffield-based Midco Waste Management. Used tyres can be recycled into flooring, landscaping and some equestrian uses, or used for energy recovery purposes.
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