Tyre funding won’t stop dodgy dumping - retailers, expert
Government money to burn used tyres will only fix half of the problem, tyre retailers and industry experts say.
A $28 million Government package for businesses willing to tackle the five million used tyres the country produces every year lets tyre producers off the hook, according to Waikato University environmental law professor Alexander Gillespie.
The grant intends to create an end-of-life market for tyres and solve problematic tyre stockpiling.
Waikato has a history of dodgy tyre dumping, with stockpiles in Frankton and Otorohanga posing a problem to both Hamilton City Council and Waikato Regional Council in recent years.
Environment minister Nick Smith said a $13.6 million grant to Golden Bay Cement works in Whangarei for equipment that will burn 3.1 million tyres each year for fuel will go a long way to reduce the used tyre problem.
Waste Management NZ will receive $3.8 million to set up a collection network and shredding facility. The remainder of the money goes to businesses looking to create products from used tyres.
A proposed set of restrictions will limit the number of tyres able to be stored outdoors to 200 metres cubed without consent.
‘‘These new restrictions are needed to protect the environment, prevent ratepayers having to pick up the bill of dealing with stockpiles and to help channel waste tyres into more sustainable recycling and disposal options,’’ Smith said in a statement.
Tyre Tracks owner Matt Lowther said it was positive to see Government acknowledge there is an issue with tyres.
‘‘It’s a really good thing that they’re actually getting involved, but it’s halfway there.’’
Government oversight of the collection price would be required to eliminate problem tyre piles.
Gillespie agreed it was a step in the right direction, but tyre producers should to be held responsible for recycling.
‘‘Encouraging recycling is a good thing, the problem is to stop the build-up of the waste in the first place. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have producer responsibility schemes. This is not that.’’
Putting the pressure on producers or importers would create incentive needed to effectively tackle the problem, he said.
‘‘Dumping occurs when the incentive to dispose of illegally is greater than the incentive to dispose of legally, so you can save money doing it.
‘‘If you make a penalty as opposed to an incentive to people, they’re going to dump. Does this solve the problem? No, no it won’t.’’
Adele Rose, chief executive of 3R, a company which organised tyre industry working group Tyrewise, said industry still wants to see a fee applied at the point of tyre import.
‘‘It’s all part of the picture, it all helps to support the passage of tyres from the vehicle to end-of-life in the right place.’’
While Tyrewise members would like to see mandatory fees, around 20 per cent of companies remain outside the group, which prevents the industry group from taking total initiative on this.
‘‘The industry works on such tight margins, if they voluntarily removed the levy from the consumer and put it on the tyres coming into the market, they would be negatively affected.
‘‘It takes a fairly ballsy company to actually stand up and take voluntary stewardship and be a leader in that space.’’