3R Group calls for collaboration on end-of-life tyres

3R Group, the leader of New Zealand’s government-funded Tyrewise project, says a collaborative approach is required in order to ensure safe tyre recycling.

Approximately 5 million tyres reach the end of their useful life in New Zealand each year, but less than 30% are being recycled. This is in stark contrast to countries such as Canada, which has been recycling tyres for 25 years and achieving diversion rates of over 90%, stated 3R Group’s Adele Rose.

“While some businesses are safely recycling tyres, these are the exception rather than the rule,” said Rose.

“A more common outcome has been abandoned stockpiles of tyres that councils and ratepayers are forced to pay millions to tidy up, like the recent Frankton tyre pile.”

The Tyrewise project commenced in March 2012, with the aim of enabling industry to work together to deliver a consistent nationwide approach to the responsible disposal of tyres. Rose stated, “The final report submitted to the government in 2013 outlined a plan which the tyre industry believed would provide a robust framework to substantially improve our recycling rates.”

Rose says there are four critical elements for a sustainable and successful outcome: scale and consistency of supply; smart, supportive regulation; demand for end-use products; and industry support. “All of this is best delivered through a collaborative stewardship approach,” she said, “which is what the Tyrewise working group recommended.”

According to Rose, scale and consistency of supply is critical in securing the infrastructure investment for a tyre-recycling industry capable of processing the annual volume of 5 million tyres. She also said the lack of appropriate regulatory control is mostly strongly felt at regional levels, where councils are left juggling public dumping, appropriate landfill rules and consent applications for recycling proposals.

New end uses and markets for the materials are said to be critical factors in successful tyre-recycling programs, which are driven and partly funded by these. Some examples include rubber asphalt additives which make new road surfaces quieter and longer lasting; burning as an efficient and cleaner alternative to coal for energy generation; or use as an additive in steel manufacturing. 

“The final piece of the puzzle is the most obvious - industry support and collaboration,” Rose said.

3R Group and the Waste Management Institute of New Zealand (WasteMINZ) are organising the inaugural Tyre Industry Summit, to be held form 2-3 June at Crowne Plaza Auckland. The summit will bring together speakers from successful programs overseas, scientists at the forefront of end-use processes, government representatives, tyre manufacturers and importers and recycling industry providers to discuss common goals for tyre stewardship in New Zealand.

“This summit is critical to moving forward, as none of us want to wait for a harmful tyre fire to bring about stewardship for tyres as happened in North America,” said Rose. “Imagine what damage a large fire of that nature could do to health and our ‘clean green’ environment.”