South African waste tyre plan approved
South Africa’s REDISA (Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa) reports that the REDISA Integrated Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan has been approved by Edwina Molewa, the country’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs. The plan was gazetted on 23 July 2012, and REDISA notes that a 60-day period for affected parties to comply and for producers to subscribe applies.
The plan will be funded through a per-kilogramme levy on tyres manufactured in or imported into South Africa. Costs are determined on the basis of all operational and capital costs required to make the plan work and is currently set at R2.30 (£0.18) per kilogramme. The intention is to ensure that the management of waste tyres follows the waste hierarchy which advocates for avoidance of waste, re-use, recycling and recovery of energy and disposal as the last option. This will in turn curb the well known impacts of waste tyre stockpiles such as human health risks associated with mosquito and vermin breeding as well as air pollution impacts from burning of tyres and fire hazards.
Ms Molewa originally approved the REDISA plan in a letter dated 15 November 2011, however approval of this plan was subsequently withdrawn on 26 January 2012 in order to ensure all stakeholders and the public were given more opportunity to comment on the proposed plan, as some industry members had raised concerns regarding the consultation process that followed. Comments received were considered and a comments and response document was prepared and submitted on 10 February.
REDISA anticipates an early 2013 start to operations. The organisation reports it is now getting its “systems ready for implementation over the next few months.”
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