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T wo men from Worcester discovered the cost of unethical waste
Page 138
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tyre disposal last month when they were hit with fines and costs exceeding £17,000 for burying 200 truck tyres. This type of offence is generally prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act (199o). They are commanding greater attention—and an increasing share of tight enforcement budgets—from the regulating authorities such as the Environment Agency (EA), The problem remains of what to do with the huge number of worn-out tyres.
"The production of used tyres in the UK is somewhere between 35 and 37 million (around 450,000 tonnes) annually," says Jeff Cooper of the EA's producer responsibility unit. "Of those, some will be retreaded, which leaves about 30 million that have to be disposed of."
About 32 million of these tyres are from cars. When it comes to trucks there are fewer vehicles, so there are fewer tyres—and of the five million or so in this category many are reused many times, often under the auspices of the tyre manufacturers and their agents, as part of fleet pricing and whole-life tyre management schemes.
Concentrated effort
However, as the Worcester case shows, a concentrated effort is required to ensure that the problem is dealt with across all sectors and not just swept under the carpet (or, as in this case, buried).
The EA is recruiting a campaign head to lead a national clampdown on tyre disposal methods, which is scheduled to begin by the middle of the year. Its focus is likely to be more easily targeted towards the rogue element, thanks to the launch last month of the Responsible Recyder Scheme_ This scheme has been conceived to guarantee the use of the most ethical routes available for the disposal of used tyre casings. It is the first of its kind anywhere in the world because it is market based—which means the scheme will attempt to generate interest in more alternative uses for the waste product—and because it involves the co-operation of independent tyre collection specialists.
These specialists are supported by several industry associations and are united by a code of practice and a detailed audit which is a requirement of membership. But they remain competitors with operational differences.