TIF Challenges Decision to Drop Used Tyre Statutory Reporting

In response to Defra’s second consultation document on waste controls, the Tyre Industry Federation (TIF) is urging the government to reconsider its decision to drop its proposal for statutory reporting for used tyre disposal. The government floated the idea of introducing statutory reporting for used tyre recovery in 2005, before elaborating in more detail in its first consultation document on waste controls last year. In its second document the government reported that only 10 out of the 35 responses referring to this proposal supported it.

TIF points out that is was amongst those in favour. The government went on to say that enhanced reporting requirements would represent an additional cost to businesses and it considered that the limited effect that the requirements would have on levels of fly-tipped tyres would not outweigh the additional burden to businesses. In commenting on its stance John Dorken, Secretary of the Federation, said: “It is ridiculous for the government to have rejected the proposal on the grounds that the burden to the industry outweighed the benefits when the TIF, as the voice of the whole industry, has strongly supported it.

“The government should be evaluating responses on the weight of those responses, not the simple number of submissions for and against the proposals. We stand fully behind the case we put to the government. In particular we need to have better intelligence on what is going on in the used tyre market so as to effectively fight the scourge of flytipping and ensure that there is a sustainable and effective regime for used tyre recovery in the future. We can only get this is there is a statutory requirement on the many hundreds of industry players to report their transactions. Voluntary systems, however good they are, can never give the full picture since there will always be those who, for whatever reasons, will choose to remain outside them.”