Challenge to South African tyre recycling plan thrown out

A South African court ruled yesterday that any tyre maker who didn’t adopt the country’s REDISA waste tyre management plant would “not be entitled to manufacture [or] import new, part worn or retreaded tyres” and would also be subject to sanctions outlined in the waste tyre regulations and other legislative provisions. This decision, given by Judge Piet van der Byl at the Gauteng North High Court, put an end to efforts by the SA Tyre Recycling Process Company (SATRP) and Bridgestone South Africa to block this.

SATRP claimed that tyre makers supporting its own programme would have to spend significant sums to ensure their systems complied with the REDISA plan, which would discourage companies from joining the SATRP plan. Judge van der Byl countered that he couldn’t foresee how SATRP subscribers would be disadvantaged if they were required to register and comply with REDISA’s plan. He added that should the SATRP plan be approved, tyre companies were free to deregister from REDISA with no financial implications, within 120 days’ notice.

REDISA CEO Hermann Erdmann expressed his pleasure with the outcome and emphasised the key issue at hand – South Africa’s tyre industry now has a legally obligation to deal with its waste. “The delays and obstructions put in the way of implementing a solution to our waste tyre problem also affect all the people who are looking to Redisa for their opportunity to earn a decent living,” he said. “This court action (from SATRP and Bridgestone) has been yet another distraction from the real purpose of the plan, which is to build a sustainable tyre recycling industry and create jobs.” 

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