After lobbying regulators to do more to prevent rogue operators using T8 exemptions as a cover for the illegitimate handling of Britain’s end-of-life tyres, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has welcomed DEFRA’s February announcement suggesting the government department would act to end the current exemptions regime.
The Indian government’s announcement of an action plan for the management of increasing volumes of waste tyres has been welcomed by the UK Tyre Recovery Association (TRA). Despite the Indian government’s move as a “much-needed response to a growing environmental challenge”, TRA representatives commented that India’s waste tyre arisings have been “swelling exponentially but so too have imports of old tyres from many western countries”. Some of the latter have reportedly “ended up being processed in illegal or environmentally unsuitable ways”.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has spoken out to endorse the move Australian government’s move to prohibit the export of most unprocessed end-of-life tyres from December 2021. The only exception will be casings suitable for retreading or validated reuse. In addition, Peter Taylor, secretary general of the TRA urged DEFRA Secretary of state George Eustice MP to closely study this change in Australian law and consider whether the UK should follow a similar path:
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is supporting a West Mercia Police anti tyre fly-tipping initiative. The campaign, which involves retailers and others handling waste tyres, offers special marker pens to identify the origin of tyre. TRA-branded handouts and posters promoting the campaign will also be available.
The new TRA Pyrolysis Group held its first meeting on 26 January 2021 attended by 16 of the association’s members. The meeting identified a number of common interests and objectives ranging from feedstock monitoring, the clear need to influence future regulation governing pyrolysis operators as well as complex issues such as ‘end of waste’ status and planning constraints.
2020 has seen increased interest in tyre pyrolysis in the UK and beyond. In response, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is launching a sub-group of interested members to address a number of matters of common importance. The sub-group’s first meeting is scheduled for January 2021.
After almost 20 years with Conica, the company’s operations director, John Bramwell, is retiring at the end of October. Commenting on his retirement, company representatives said Bramwell “has been a fundamental part of everything the company has achieved and will leave Conica with one of the best truck tyre recycling plants anywhere in the world.” In addition to his leadership role at Conica, Bramwell also represented the industry in a number of roles, including as a director of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA).
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.
Two supplier businesses closely linked to the end-of-life tyre recovery chain in the UK have joined the Tyre Recovery Association. The new member companies are: Accent Wire based in Solihull, West Midlands and Bradford, Yorkshire; and Gateway Resources of Dubai, UAE.
The Tyre Recovery Association has urged tyre retailers, vehicle dismantlers, and others who need to dispose of waste tyres to beware unrealistically low rates. Reprocessing costs are soaring, as Tyrepress previously reported, and measures by Asian authorities, especially in India, are countering the trade imbalance that has artificially lowered the cost of exporting waste tyres to the continent. Tyre Recovery Association secretary general Peter Taylor explains that rates hit historic lows over the past year or two due to often questionable treatment processes in the region.
Tighter waste recovery practices in India will drive “a big increase in recovery costs across Europe and beyond”, according to industry body the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA). Together with similar moves in some other SE Asian countries, the TRA warns vehicle dismantlers and tyre retailers that disposal costs could “as much as double” in the coming weeks and months.
As of 1 January 2020, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) will share its address with the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) in Aylesbury. According to the association, TRA’s new address is:
The 2019 TRA annual forum day attracted record numbers of delegates to its annual day conference held at the Ardencote Manor Hotel on Tuesday 18 June. Numerous topics were covered during the day, but the TRA’s calls for government support in pursuit of its goals; details of the association’s recent tag technology trial details; and the launch of a tyre recovery industry-specific Fire Prevention Plan stood out. More than 90 delegates were in attendance.
Following four years of consultation, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has published its tyre industry specific Fire Prevention Plan (FPP). Having worked alongside the Environment Agency (EA) to address 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, the TRA’s FPP will meet the objectives of the Environment Agency Fire Prevention Plan Guidance Version 3. Specifically, this means: Preventing a fire; Extinguishing of a fire; and minimising the impact of a fire. The industry-specific Fire Prevention Plan was launched by Peter Buckley, senior fire advisor, Environment Agency.
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has announced the completion of a digital tyre tracking trial. Conducted with TRA member Fraser Evans & Sons Ltd and technology partner PragmatIC. The trial used Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The tags were fixed to the tyre by the collector, who assigned them to their future use, for example retreading or reprocessing. These tags are designed remain attached to the tyre right through to its end-of-life and the data they contain is accessed using a handheld scanner, which reads the unique RFID.
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Conica
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