On 3 July 2020 the UK government issued advice on the port-side storage of tyre shred via a time-limited Environment Agency Regulatory Position Statement (RPS 238). RPS 238 was updated on 15 September 2020 and lasts until 30 June 2021.
When the rubber hits the…rubber: Highways England is trialling a new road surface using recycled tyres. The rubber-asphalt mix has been laid on a section of the M1 near Leicester and is now being evaluated for durability.
Peter Taylor OBE, secretary general of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), has been elected vice president of the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) nine-member board. The board, comprised of nine members, oversees the formation and execution of ETRA’s strategic priorities and focus areas. Taylor is the only UK representative on the board.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) and Wood Recyclers Association (WRA) are describing the Environment Agency’s (EA) attempt to create a single set of ‘one size fits all’ fire prevention guidelines for all sectors as ‘unviable’, a view that the association states is held by firms across the waste recovery industry. The need to store a diverse range of materials in various grades, each with differing combustibility, burn rates and fire risk, across widely differing sites, makes the adoption of a ‘catch-all’ solution impossible, they point out. Should such a policy be adopted, it would also pose a severe threat to reputable businesses, while at the same time encouraging an increase in sites exempt from regulations and which the EA admits it does not have the funds to inspect.
TRA members will lobby their constituency members of parliament in their effort to fight off Environment Agency plans to bring in new storage limits which they say could put many responsible recyclers out of business. The association believes that the proposed new norms which it is claimed will lead to a reduction in waste fires will hit the tyre industry disproportionately.
Plans by the Environment Agency (EA) to introduce new norms for the storage and processing of end of life tyres (ELTs) will force many operators out of business by the end of this year, according to the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA). And what’s more this outcome is likely to drive tyre recycling underground too.
Spokespeople from tyre industry, government agencies, external industry bodies gather to demonstrate broad-base discussions on ‘Meeting the Compliance Agenda’, including fire prevention and part-worn tyres The new president of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), John Bramwell opened proceedings at May’s Ardencote Manor hosted Recycling Day 2016 by setting out the “need for strength” within the […]
NTDA national chairman Roger Griggs used his speech at the 86th NTDA Annual Dinner to echo many of the sentiments expressed at the Tyre Industry Conference, calling especially for unified voices in tackling industry-wide issues. Encompassing cheap imported products, the under-regulated part-worn tyre market, MOTs and road safety, and the importance of attracting young talent to the industry, Griggs’ speech outlined the evolution of the NTDA’s position over the past year and, most crucially the work it is doing in attempting to bring together a variety of disparate voices. Reinforcing the association’s “growth and renewed energy,” according to Griggs, the dinner was the “biggest… in recent decades, with 620 guests in attendance,” indicating the “value…we all place on spending time together as an industry.
After a decade-long hiatus, the National Tyre Distributor Association (NTDA) resurrected the concept of having an annual tyre industry conference, with a new location and new format at the start of October. The new conference sees the association position its gathering as an industry-wide professional event alongside the NTDA dinner. The decision to re-launch the conference comes at a time when the NTDA dinner has itself evolved significantly – this year some 600 people attended (see complete coverage in the preceding section of this issue). But the most noticeable thing was the concerted effort, especially on the part of various industry associations participating, to present a united front. By doing this they showed that the associations are now more interested in highlighting where they stand together as opposed to where they differ.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is urging the Environment Agency (EA) to listen to the recycling industry to avoid the inadvertent promotion of unregulated businesses. While the TRA and other waste streams have repeatedly been calling for amendments to the EA’s proposed new Fire Prevention Plan over the past four years, especially to proposed stack heights and the fire breaks between them, the recommendations have, as yet, gone unheeded. The TRA believes that if due action is not taken, unregulated businesses will profit while those with a proven, professional and regulated background will rapidly be forced out of the industry.
The winners of the 2015 Tyre Industry Awards were announced during the 86th NTDA Annual Dinner on 1 October following the new one-day Tyre Industry Conference at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham. Attendance at the dinner set a new record, with 60 tables sold out. The speaker and presenter of the awards was former England Rugby Union international, amateur dancer and current television pundit, Austin Healey, who added some trademark irreverence to proceedings. The Awards were also live-tweeted as they were announced on the @Tyrepress Twitter feed. The awards were sponsored this year by Sailun Tyres.
Among the TRA’s key achievements in the past ten years, the organisation has helped to develop a standard for tyre-derived materials (PAS 107), in conjunction with the Environment Agency, BSI and WRAP. It has since added a new Quality Protocol (QP) option to PAS 107, designed to promote sustainable, cost-effective tyre recycling and stimulate further demand for tyre-derived materials.
The Tyre Recovery Association’s (TRA) Recycling Day, a one-day conference and dinner organised in partnership with the Retread Manufacturers Association, was held at the Ardencote Manor, Warwickshire on Friday, 19 June. Attended by representatives of the tyre and waste recycling industries, the conference included presentations covering the key themes of regulations and enforcement, best practise and innovation, and common causes and issues facing the industry. The unity of the various trade bodies struck a particularly strong note throughout the day, not just through the joint organisation of the event between the Retread Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the TRA, but with strong backing given to the event by association directors representing the whole of the UK tyre industry. The Recycling Day also marked an occasion for celebration, as the TRA celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Proposals by the ESA-led ‘WISH’ group have been branded counter-intuitive and arrogant by Britain’s Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) whose members handle more than three quarters of the country’s end-of-life tyre arisings. Commenting further on the proposals, TRA secretary general Peter Taylor OBE called the impression given by WISH that its consultation document was the result of wide ranging consultation to be wholly disingenuous.
The recent history of how we deal with end of life tyres has been littered with ideas, but surprisingly few real success stories. In this opinion piece, Tyre Recovery Association director, Peter Taylor OBE shares his view on the use of tyres in rubberised tarmac.
Peter H; Pixabay