The EU directive will phase out the cheap disposal of tyres to landfill from 2003 in order to push for recycling, but EA Chairman Sir John Harman warned today that a side-effect of the ban will be a dramatic increase in fly-tipping and unauthorised disposal operators.
“Since more than 166,000 tonnes of tyres are currently disposed to landfill every year,” Sir John said, “the new directive has the potential to encourage more illegal tipping. If co-ordinated action isn’t taken, the scale of illegal dumping will increase – driven by the financial incentive to save the cost of proper disposal.”
The UK produces around 50 million waste tyres each year, 63% of which are recovered to be used as retreads, fuel or in athletic track surfaces. The remaining tyres are put into landfill sites. It is estimated that the illegal fly-tipping of tyres costs local authorities and businesses over 2 million per year, and with the ban on landfilling tyres, this cost is expected to surge.
“If we, in partnership with industry, can squeeze out illegal operators, we support the existing tyre recovery infrastructure and encourage investment in markets that can reuse this valuable raw material.”
Illegal
There are already a number of colossal tyre dumps around the country, including sites at Knighton Heyope in Powys, which holds around 9 million tyres, and Doncaster’s Old Hampole Quarry, which holds 2 million. According to the EA, the problem is already getting worse, since 40% of the 38 sites identified have sprung up in the past few years. The situation has not been helped by the relaxed approach from UK courts, which have seen sentences as low as a 28-day jail spell handed out for the dumping of 84,000 tyres.
Sir John said: “The Agency wants to ensure that those handing out sentences for this type of crime are fully aware of the damage done to the environment, reputable business and the public at large – only then will the fines and punishment cease to be a business expense and become a deterrent.”
But although enforcement is important, the EA also believes that education is as important as regulation. A third of businesses using tyre disposal contractors do not even check that the collector is legitimate before handing over tyres. Sir John said: “If tyre tippers care about nothing more than their own profits and personal comfort, that’s where society has got to hit them.”
The EA is asking anyone with information about illegal tyre dumping to call 0800 80 70 60 or their local authority.
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