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Tyres

TyresWhile waste tyres are not classified as hazardous they can cause environmental pollution if disposed of incorrectly or irresponsibly.  An estimated 35,000 tonnes of waste tyres are generated in Ireland each year and there is a clear need to improve the way this waste stream is managed. The problems are compounded by the absence of hard, reliable data on waste flows for tyres.  Considerable work has been undertaken, in conjunction with the tyre industry and other stakeholders, with a view to developing a voluntary industry initiative for waste tyres.

Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2007


Following on discussions between the Department and relevant stakeholders, and a public consultation process, Regulations on the management of waste tyres came into force on 1 January 2008.  The Regulations seek to improve information gathering and the tracking of waste tyre flows in Ireland. As well as consultation with the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA), the Department has also had discussions with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

The new scheme will identify a clear audit trail for tyre collection and recycling. It is an initiative that will impose additional responsibilities on stakeholders and also require their co-operation in ensuring the success of the scheme following implementation.

The Regulations impose obligations on persons who supply tyres to the Irish market, whether as manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, traders, or retailers and on the collectors of waste tyres. These obligations include the submission of information as prescribed in the Regulations and in the format provided for in the Guidance concerning S.I. No. 664 of 2007 by the 10th day of each quarterly period.  They will also be required to prepare and present waste management plans and reports when submitting applications for registration and submit a report to the EPA by the 28th February of each year.

The regulations will support the environmentally sound management of waste tyres by providing a regulatory framework for comparing quantities of waste tyres arising with the quantities placed on the market and in tracking the movement of waste tyres from the time they are discarded until they are either reused or processed for recycling and /or recovery.

Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2007 (pdf, 204kb)
Guidance on Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2007 (pdf, 2,609kb)



TRACS


An exemption from these obligations is available to persons who participate in TRACS the voluntary compliance scheme that has been developed by the tyre industry and which has been approved by the Minister following the making of the Regulations.


Farmers


Provision has been made in the regulations to enable a farmer who requires waste tyres to anchor silage covering to store up to eight waste tyres for every square metre of the floor area of his or her silage pit, without the need to have a waste permit.  An example of the quantities permitted is as follows:
Floor Area Width (Metres) Floor Area Length (Metres) Floor Area Area (Square Metres) No of Tyres Permitted
10 10 100 800
10 15 150 1,200
10 20 200 1,600
12 12 144 1,152
12 17 204 1,632
12 22 264 2,112

Waste Tyre Regulations and Farmers (doc, 33kb)


Marinas and Others


Others requiring waste tyres for genuine reuse, such as marinas, will be able to source waste tyres subject to the approval of local authorities and compliance with the existing regulations governing waste permits.  It will be a matter for each local authority to adjudicate each case on its own merits, having regard to best environmental practice.  Alternatively, an application may be refused.

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