Mounting evidence of fly-tipping and abandonment alarms TRA members

This autumn could bring with it a new rash of tyre dumping and site abandonment warns Britain’s Tyre Recovery Association.

Several factors are in play at this present time which the public, our regulators and the tyre trade itself should be aware says the TRA.

First and foremost ‘gate’ prices * have almost doubled since the start of the year as market conditions have hardened, indications are that they will remain at these new levels. Many smaller collectors have been slow to recognise this reality and now find themselves holding large quantities of old tyres they have collected at prices too low to fund current reprocessing costs so leading to abandonment.

A further factor is that the Environment Agency’s temporary Covid-driven relaxation of storage limits for our old tyres ends on 30th September 2020, so operators who have availed themselves of this concession must revert to their normal or permitted limits.

Lastly, the prospect of an early end to the widely abused ‘Exemptions’ regime in England and Wales will put further pressure on some operators to choose between more responsible levels of regulatory compliance or business closure.

‘These are an exceptional set of circumstances’, said Peter Taylor, TRA Secretary-General which we fear will have reputational consequences for our industry and for regulators. We in the TRA have consistently argued for more effective enforcement but now more than ever we urge Police and regulators to be more than ever alert to the growing dangers of widespread and opportunistic abandonment over the coming months’.

The TRA’s message to tyre retailers, vehicle dismantlers and all those needing to responsibly dispose of their tyres is a simple one. With levels of criminality on the rise just now it is more important than ever you ensure you meet your legal Duty of Care when passing on wastes such as your old tyres. Our website https://tyrerecovery.org.uk/clearly explains how to avoid potentially costly mistakes.

• The ‘gate’ price is the typical amount charged by end of life tyre recyclers and others to accept old tyres from those providing a collection-only service.