Australia Sets Out National Tyre Recycling Framework

During a meeting of Australia’s Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) on November 5, Australia’s state environment ministers agreed upon a new national policy on waste and resource management. This National Waste Policy sets the agenda for waste and resource recovery in Australia over the next decade, and as part of it the tyre industry will develop a scheme to increase waste tyre recycling in Australia.

According to a statement released by the EPHC, the aims of the policy are to avoid the generation of waste; reduce the amount of waste for disposal; manage waste as a resource and ensure that waste treatment, disposal, recovery and reuse is undertaken in a safe, scientific and environmentally sound manner; and contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy conservation and production, water efficiency and the productivity of the land.

The state environment ministers have announced that product stewardship initiatives for handling end of life tyres are expected to come forward for accreditation under the new policy in 2010. All jurisdictions will actively work with the tyre industry stakeholders to put in place schemes commencing next year that will develop the market and gain more value from the 52 million tyre EPUs (Equivalent Passenger Units) that reach end of life in Australia each year.

“If this trend continues, up to 680 million tyres will be sent to landfill over the next 20 years,” stated the Australian Federal Environment minister, former Midnight Oil vocalist Peter Garrett. “The Australian Government will lead work with tyre industry stakeholders and state and territory governments to put in place recycling schemes to commence next year to increase recycling rates and prevent tyres going to landfill.”

Garrett added that a ‘Tyres Roundtable’ would be established in order to help the scheme get under way. Members of this group will include the Australian Tyre Industry Council (ATIC), Australian Tyre Recyclers Association, Minerals Council of Australia, Cement Industry Federation, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Motor Trades Association of Australia, Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce and other key industry bodies.