Tyre Disposal Scheme: 97% of car tyres recycled in 2018
Sylvester Phelan
Nov 22, 2019, 6:05am
A review into the first year of the Tyre Disposal Scheme, set up to ensure waste tyres are disposed of correctly, showed that 97% of tyres were recycled last year.
This was a key finding in the review, which was published by Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Richard Bruton today, Friday, November 22.
Minister Bruton said: "Tyres are not biodegradable and can become a fire hazard if not disposed of correctly.
"This scheme was established in 2017, to tackle illegal dumping of tyres, to gather accurate data on waste tyres and to promote good practice for managing tyres which have reached their end of life.
The focus of the first year of the scheme was on passenger car and motorcycle tyres. The report being published today shows that the scheme has been very successful, of the approximately 3.8 million tyres placed on the market last year, 97% were recycled.
The minister described the scheme's first year results as "very promising", noting that 31,000t of waste tyres were recovered and properly disposed of.
"We now have detailed data on the tyre market in Ireland," the minister added.
Hinting at the next focus of the scheme, Minister Bruton said:
We will now consider the recommendations of the report and consider how best to extend the scheme to other categories of tyres – truck and tractor tyres for example.
Recycled waste tyres can be put to a variety of uses including the creation of playgrounds, football pitches, horse arenas, garden edges and weed suppressant.
The review, which contains 15 recommendations, will now be circulated to stakeholders for their consideration, according to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment.
New structures for tyres and waste tyres were introduced on October 1, 2017, to address the chronic problem of waste tyres in Ireland.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for enforcement of the tyres regulations which relates to functions and powers of the registration body and the obligations of tyre producers.
A nationwide campaign of tyre producer enforcement was carried out in 2018, with 69 enforcement visits carried out at tyre producer premises countrywide.
60 of these visits related to Display of PRL (Producer Register Limited) registration number on sales documentation. Nine visits related to producer registration. In addition, 98 enforcement notices were issued.
According to the EPA, by the end of 2018, only two of 355 producers identified nationwide remained unregistered.
Concluding, Minister Bruton said: "The Climate Action Plan includes an action to expand our producer responsibility schemes to new areas. We must ensure that producers take responsibility for the environmental impact of disposing of goods they put on the market."
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