Sapphire and Saltire Clear Manchester Tyre Dump

Sapphire Energy Recovery and Saltire Recovery Ltd recently worked in partnership to clean up an illegal dump of 16,000 tyres. The fly-tip was discovered in a lock-up in a disused railway arch in Ardwick, Manchester, by local property firm Maryland Securities, which was investigating apparent non-payment of rent by the premises’ tenant.

All 16,000 tyres were collected by Saltire and sent for chipping at Sapphire’s Manchester site within just three days of being notified by the landlord of the problem. The chips have since been sent to Lafarge Cement’s Cauldon and Hope Works for processing in cement kilns, leaving Maryland Securities investigating how to recoup the cost.

Maryland Securities became responsible for the safe disposal of the tyres after the tenant – who has a waste carriers licence and owns a company called Supreme Tyres UK – apparently fell behind on his rent and began to experience business difficulties, leaving the tyres in a stockpile.

“Tyre dumps are not only illegal but a disaster waiting to happen, and we’re pleased we’ve been able to help ensure these tyres were safely disposed of in a quick and environmentally responsible way,” said Keith Rodgers of Saltire. “This case highlights the vital importance of using a responsible collector who not only has the correct waste collection and disposal licences, but a tried and tested disposal route which tyre retailers and garages can trust.”

“We’ve made significant investment in recent years to improve the facilities at our dedicated tyre processing Partington site in Manchester which meant we were able to deal with such a high volume of tyres at such short notice,” explained Ryan Mifflin, head of sales and marketing for Sapphire, which manages the processing and distribution of used tyres to cement kilns.

Used tyres have been providing a sustainable fuel alternative for the cement industry for well over a decade, providing an environmentally-beneficial outlet for the 40 million tyres removed from UK vehicles every year.

“Our nationwide network of sites is purposely designed to support major conurbations such as Manchester so we can deal quickly with the higher numbers of used tyres generated in such highly populated areas in an efficient way as possible, which was vital in this situation where there was a potential health and safety risk.

“100,000 tyres are replaced every single day in the UK, and we want tyre retailers and garage service companies to know that with just one call to our 08452 60 20 40 hotline they can access a collection service they can trust.”

The Environment Agency has launched an inquiry into why so many tyres were being stored in the Ardwick lock-up.