Hasta La Vista, Scrap Tyres…

In a move that is perhaps a faint nod to his former career, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill permitting usage of a portion of the state’s scrap tyre recycling funds to “terminate” the presence of scrap tyres on the Mexico side of the California-Mexico border. The money will be used to reduce scrap tyre levels and encourage the establishment of recycling projects.

The California Tire Recycling Act imposes a US$1 fee on all new tyres sold within the state. The new amendment to the act has been implemented in the hope of stopping the flow of scrap tyres from Mexico, and the recycling, re-use and cleanup programmes funded by the tax will benefit those on both sides of the border.

According to Wildcoast, an environmental group that supported the bill in the California legislature, “the passage of this bill represents a significant step in increasing the ability of California to work with Mexico to address shared environmental and health challenges.”