Tired of the retired tyres problem

yearbook 2021 Tired of the retired tyres problem

Periodic government recommitment to environmental purity are to be welcomed, particularly those which effectively deal with hazardous waste

Regrettably, the latest government decision to regulate selective Product Stewardship requirements without adequate consideration of how this might best be achieved, are frustrating options for re-purposing products or removing them from the environment.

Nobody would argue the need to better manage the ever-increasing waste swamping landfills and polluting New Zealand Inc. the latest pronouncement of more money will not, in itself, resolve this longrunning environmental conundrum.

Our waste disposal predicament is not new – we simply bury or export our waste, conflicting with our ‘Clean and Green’ persona, particularly plastic, electronic waste and tyres.

Most plastic and electronics were exported to countries where we assumed they were responsibly dealt with. Subsequent bans on imported waste by China and several other countries receiving our trash, highlighted the unacceptable reality of the harm our detritus was causing

Renewed focus on how to address polluting stockpiles of old tyres reveals that New Zealand seems incapable of resolving our growing inventory of hazardous stockpiles throughout the country.

A massive collection of waste chemicals to be cleaned up in Northland reveals the inadequacy of both site operators and enforcement agencies. Huge dumps of old tyres throughout the country undermine the efforts by a few companies to successfully recycle this valuable resource. Unsurprisingly, that is quite a challenge, especially in New Zealand Inc, hobbled by its plethora of regulations, local protest and inadequate infrastructure.

Substantial government funding is now available to develop product stewardship schemes, including expanding an e-waste pilot project and focusing on the recycling of old tyres. The expectation is that we will invest in expanding onshore recycling efforts to demonstrate our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development

Goals (SDG), expressed in the ‘Circular Economy’ concept of re-purposing unwanted products or disposing of them responsibly.

Funding is not the primary issue - effective solutions are.

Closer to home, successful initiatives are led by industry colleague Plastics NZ’s support for expanding re-purposing of products to facilitate new uses and progressively minimise waste. A recovery team collects increasing quantities of Agchem containers and the plastic baling wrap from farms, for a modest surcharge included in the product price.

Tyres are an interesting example. The world is awash with old tyres and globally, an estimated half are incinerated to provide energy. Yet tyres provide valuable reusable materials comprising oil (50 percent), carbon black (30 percent), steel (10 percent) and gas (10 percent). Recovered by pyrolysis via oxygen free heating, utilising the gas emitted during the process satisfies at least SDG targets seven, nine, 12 and 13.

Singaporean scientists are combining polymer recovered from tyres, with a gel to produce aerogels, super lightweight solids with many applications, ranging from batteries and electronics to insulation and lunar rovers.

For several years, retailers and vehicle operators, including motorists, have reportedly been paying a tyre collection fee of $4-$5 to defray the cost of recycling, while at the same time the tyre mountains continue to grow across the country.

Encouraged by grants totalling $17m from the Waste Minimisation Fund, local company Waste Management is successfully processing and re-purposing approximately 50% of the six million waste tyres discarded each year. Tyres are shredded and used as fuel in cement kilns. Additional funding would enable Waste Management to double throughput and make inroads into the illegal tyre dumps.

Various other tyre recycling ventures have received sporadic taxpayer funding for years; most have failed.

Why can’t we resolve this long-running environmental embarrassment?

The transition to the post-Covid 19 economy requires a transformational strategy, together with rapid investment in successfully resolving major environmental issues, particularly the implementation of pragmatic, long-term and cost-effective alternatives to landfills and illegal dumps.

A major roadblock to resolving our increasing waste issues is government regulating without first ensuring comprehensive infrastructure is in place, by learning from international role models.

We need to accept that advancing technology can provide optimum solutions. Most international solutions for waste tyres involve pyrolysis.

Opposition to modern incineration technology to convert waste to energy, frustrates attempts to implement comprehensive, national waste management solutions reflecting our commitment to UN Sustainability Goals. Meanwhile, we continue to incinerate tyres in less environmentally friendly cement kilns.

Rather than more money for pilot projects, invest in increasing the capacity of proven recycling operations such as waste management, to eliminate dangerous tyre stockpiles.

Not accepting the export of waste chemicals for incineration is both redundant and hypocritical. More enlightened European and Asian countries with the world’s toughest environmental controls, incinerate waste, including tyres, as an alternate energy source. Economy of scale is important, often putting the recycling of valued components out of reach in high wage economies; however, continuing to burn our hazardous waste abroad or in inefficient local facilities, is not only unethical, but a tragic ‘waste’ of an opportunity for an enduring ultimate energy source.

By the way, where has the Tyre Collection Levy gone?