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Tyre Recycling

Under European law it is no longer possibletheir members dispose of tyres in a way that
to dump car tyres into landfill sites whichis environmentally friendly. This could mean
means we have to find a solution to therecycling them, reprocessing them or finding
problem of what to do with old tyres whenanother use for them. Most tyre retailers are
they have reached the end of their life.using registered members of the TRA to
According to the Lets Recycle website, therecollect and dispose of their old tyres and
were nearly half a million tonnes of wastewill often display a certificate so that you
tyres generated in 2004 and more than half ofcan be sure they are dealing with old tyres
these were either recycled or reused, someresponsibly, however, if you don't know for
15% were also used as fuel, 7% exported andsure  just  ask  them.
6% used in landfill construction. However,
nearly 59000 tonnes still ended up inAlthough most tyres are disposed of properly
landfill which was a waste of a resource, aby responsible citizens, there are still some
fire hazard, and a threat to the environment.people who choose to dump their tyres
As more and more people become car owners,illegally in the countryside, particularly as
the problem of what to do with used tyres isthe removal and disposal of old tyres usually
set  to  continue.involves a small fee. Dumping tyres illegally
is not only harmful to the environment; it is
Tyres are classed as 'controlled waste' soalso unfair on the others who choose to
there is a Duty of Care placed on wastedispose of their old tyres in the proper
producers to dispose of old tyres responsiblymanner.
and in an environmentally friendly way. The
EU landfill directive banned the dumping ofWhat  happens  to  old  tyres?
whole used tyres in 2003 and now even
shredded tyres cannot be deposited inThere are many ways that old tyres can be
landfill sites. The only exceptions to thisdisposed of responsibly and these include the
are new tyres, tyres with a diameter largerfollowing:
than 1400 mm and bicycle tyres, which can
still be disposed of in landfill sites. OneLandfill  Construction
thing you as a consumer can do is to extend
the life of your tyres and collectively overTyres can be used as part of a Leachate
time this can reduce the amount of tyresdraining system in landfill sites, although
being  disposed  of  each  year.only a relatively small number of tyres are
used for this purpose out of the millions
Extending  the  life  of  your  tyresthat are scrapped each year. Tyres used in
this  way  are  exempt  from  landfill  tax.
Having your tyres retreaded or buying
retreads is environmentally friendly,Reprocessed
cheaper, and they are just as safe as new
tyres. Since January 2004, it is mandatoryWhen tyres are grinded down or shredded into
for all retreaded tyres to be manufactured tosmall granulated bits or 'crumbs' they can be
ECE regulations and for retread producers toused for a variety of different purposes such
be licensed. However, in order to have youras surfacing for sports and play areas,
tyres retread they have to be kept in goodunderlay for carpets, soles for shoes and
condition as they can only be retread if theeven  for  road  construction.
tread  hasn't  worn  down  too  much.
Fuel
Keeping your tyres in good condition not only
extends the life of your tyres and reducesOld tyres can replace some of the coal used
the number of tyres that need to be disposedto fuel cement kilns but stringent air
of, it is also safer. Protect your tyres byemission limits apply to this type of
driving at sensible speeds and avoidoperation
unnecessary acceleration and braking. Far
less oil is used to retread a tyre than toServing  another  purpose
make a new tyre, (approximately 4.5 gallons
less on a passenger car) so energy andTyres can also be given a second life by
natural  resources  are saved in the process.serving another purpose including as play
items in children's play areas, motorway
Tyre  Disposalembankments, crash barriers at racing tracks,
noise insulation, containers for compost
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) was setheaps, protection for shrubs and trees and so
up in 2004 and operates a responsibleon, the possible uses are limited only by the
recycler scheme which aims to ensure that allimagination.



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