Proposed US state bill lays cleanup cost at retread sellers’ feet

Retreaders and retread sellers in the US state of Michigan may be forced to perform the tyre industry equivalent of cleaning up dog doo from the front lawn – even though someone else’s puppy left the mess. A new Bill introduced into the Michigan House of Representatives recommends imposing a US$5.00 fee upon every retreaded tyre sold by a retailer within the state, with the funds generated by this fee used for the “cleanup of roadside waste from deteriorated retread tyres” and other recycling and littler cleanup.

This House Bill, introduced by representative Douglas A. Geiss, would serve to reduce retreaded tyres’ competitiveness, and retreading organisations have been quick to ask exactly why their sector has been singled out to finance roadside tyre waste cleanup operations. Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Retread Tire Association, has contacted Geiss to express his “strong objection” to the House Bill.

“We believe [the Bill] is ill advised and is probably based on faulty information regarding the true causes of tyre debris on Michigan highways,” Brodsky wrote. “There is ample evidence regarding the true cause of tyre debris on our highways – and the evidence is overwhelming that retreads are not the cause. There is even a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report published in December 2008, titled Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study Final Report, which dispels the myths that retreads are responsible for tyre debris on highways everywhere.”

Harvey Brodsky has called upon representative Geiss to withdraw the proposed House Bill and urged everyone interested in maintaining retreading as a healthy industry to take whatever action they consider appropriate.