Garages and tyre dealers are being warned that they could face significant fines or custodial sentences if they fail to recycle the used tyres they collect correctly. Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) made the warning following the recent prosecution of nine individuals who were fined nearly £75,000 for illegally dumping rubbish which included used tyres.
The Tyre Recovery Association is taking steps to improve public understanding of the ‘green fee’ charged by dealers to dispose of old tyres when new rubber is fitted. A selection of free point of sale materials posters and leaflets focus on the wide range of uses and applications for recycled tyre materials, such as synthetic sports pitches, children’s playground surfaces and fuel sources for cement kilns.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has confirmed the speakers for its forthcoming annual forum day on Friday 9 July. This year’s line up is said to include “a wide range of discussions from some of the industry’s leading organisations.” The theme for the event is ‘Regulation and Opportunity’ and will look at the many challenges and infrastructure threats faced by the industry, along with case studies from companies who have overcome many of these issues. Representatives from tyre manufacturers, retailers, law enforcement officials, collectors and re-processors will attend the event, helping to ensure a lively discussion takes place which benefits the entire industry.
“The programme of speakers we have managed to secure for the forum day will make it of great interest and benefit to everyone associated with the tyre industry,” comments Peter Taylor OBE, TRA secretary general. “Not only will delegates be able to hear about the future of tyre recycling but examples of best practice will be shared and participants will be able to join in discussions and share their own thoughts and experiences.”
Representatives of the Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme (TRACS), Tyre Waste Management (TWM), the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA) and the Tyre Wholesalers and Retailers Association (TWRA) had to face crunch talks with the Irish government Department of Environment on 20 May. According to Irish publication Tyre Trade Journal (TTJ), the associations were summoned following the broadcast of a Prime Time Investigates programme, which screened three days earlier.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has announced that its 2010 Forum Day will take place on Friday 9 July at the St John’s Hotel, Solihull. According to the association, this year’s event adds a morning workshop dedicated to introducing tyre retailers to the opportunities offered by the industry’s Responsible Recycler Scheme. The workshop precedes the established programme which will follow in the afternoon and the TRA will this year organise its own Tyre Industry Dinner and cabaret for the evening.
When the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) holds its annual dinner on Friday 9 July, the industry body will honour leading companies and individuals involved in the treatment, processing or use of end of life tyres with the presentation of the inaugural Michelin Innovation Award. According to announcement released by the TRA, the award will be presented to the company or person judged to have made “the most significant innovation in this key area of the industry.”
Tyrepress.com is carrying a new Question of the Month on the homepage, dealing with one of the most controversial issues of the day: the size of the current “green fee” charged by retailers to pay for the costs of disposing of old tyres. At the nub of the issue is that collectors and recyclers believe a larger part of the green fee should be coming there way. While certain sources have pointed an accusative finger at tyre retailers, suggesting that they may be profiteering from the current fee charged to customers at the expense of tyre recovery companies, the National Tyre Distributors Association defended the position of its members by suggesting that overheads such as tyre storage costs had been underestimated in this argument. Tyrepress.com asks readers if the current Green Fee – estimated to be around £1.50 – the right price. Have your say in the debate by clicking your chosen answer and adding your comments to the forum, accessed in the top right hand corner of the homepage.
50,000 tonnes less worn tyres will be processed this year if the current situation continues on its present trajectory. A week after the news that leading end-of-life tyre (ELT) processor Sapphire is mothballing its Avonmouth facility, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has released a statement warning that the tyre recovery infrastructure is no longer making economic sense to the processers responsible for disposing of many of the nation’s tyre arisings.
“In recent weeks it has become clear that processor ‘gate’ prices have fallen below the levels necessary to accommodate even our current used tyre arisings. As a result, processing capacity is now experiencing a substantial reduction. The consequences of this situation are that our ability to collect and move our product to processors is becoming severely constrained as the collections recovery `pipeline’ for passenger tyres in particular experiences overload,” the statement read, adding:
“For many months now, TRA members have experienced serious pressures on operating margins. Not only have they faced competition from many less environmentally-compliant operators in the marketplace but they have been increasingly unsuccessful in achieving a viable collection rates from their own customers. As a result of this combination of circumstances the situation in the UK recovery market has become critical.”
The leader of a fly-tipping gang has been handed down a 10-year ASBO for his connections to the fly-tipping of hundreds of thousands of tyres. According to the London Borough of Newham, Malcolm Regan (44) coordinated an operation in which tyres were dumped at locations around Newham, including outside Stratford Magistrates' Court and in a river next to the Olympic Park. During the hearing at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on 25 February 2010, District Judge Peter Wain granted the ASBO in his absence. He also branded him a “serious and prolific fly-tipper.” If he breaches the ASBO he faces a £5,000 fine or up to 5 years’ in prison.
Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) secretary general and Imported Tyre Manufacturer’s Association (ITMA) director Peter Taylor received his OBE during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, 15 October. The award was presented by Her Majesty The Queen. Taylor received the award for services to the tyre industry and for his contribution to the businesses ground breaking tyre recovery and recycling programme.
The BBC has followed up its investigation into tyre dumping scams in North Wales on the Radio 4 consumer affairs programme, You and Yours including a statement from the secretary general of the Tyre Recovery Association, Peter Taylor. The segment was broadcast on 23 September and can be heard on Auntie’s splendid iPlayer, using the link at the bottom of the page (segment begins at circa 45 minutes).
According to Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the publication of a new Quality Protocol (QP) and certification scheme will help to drive the market for rubber crumb and shred derived from used tyres. Mervyn Jones, joint project executive and head of manufacturing at WRAP told Tyres & Accessories the Quality Protocol will assure material quality and encourage sector growth. However, the practical basis for this expansion is not clear and there are question marks over how much this will cost businesses and ultimately end users. Transport Research Laboratory will operate the tyres QP certification process.
Mervyn Jones believes this growth will be driven by the introduction of a new voluntary QP and certification scheme planned for November 2009, by the Waste Protocols project – a joint WRAP and Environment Agency initiative. The QP follows on from a publicly available specification document (PAS 107) published in 2007. Developed by WRAP and the British Standards Institute (BSI), PAS 107 helps manufacturers of tyre-derived rubber crumb and shred to ensure their products adhere to specified quality standards.
Tyre recovery and recycling specialists Murfitts industries has suffered a fire at its Littleport, Cambridgeshire site. Managing director Barry Stocker told Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com that it is too early to say how much damage has been done, but he did confirm that there is both structural and stock loss. Nevertheless, the company is continuing to take in tyres at other sites. According to local firefighers, a diesel fuel tank and gas cylinders exploded during the fire and 50 firefighters tackled flames from 200 tonnes of tyre shred on fire at the site. Local news reports suggest two buildings next to the tyre factory have been destroyed by the fire.
Sapphire Energy Recovery, the tyre recovery and waste processing company owned by Lafarge Cement, has gained BSI certification for three management system standards: quality, environment and health and safety. Certificates for ISO 9001 (for quality management), ISO 14001 (for environmental compliance) and OHSAS 18001 (for health and safety) were handed out to members of the Sapphire team by BSI representative Colin Rushmere at a recent ceremony held to mark the occasion at Lafarge Cement’s head office in Solihull.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA)has welcomed three new collector members.
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