Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Alan Kelly, T.D., has today (25 September, 2015) responded to spurious allegations made by the Tyre Industry. Industry has suggested that the introduction of a (PRI) Producer Responsibility Initiative for tyres and waste tyres will result in job losses and increases in prices and has cited this as the rationale for abandoning the talks they were engaged in with the department in relation to the introduction of a PRI in this area.
“I want to be very clear about this, what the Government is proposing is quite simple, despite all of the misinformation out there. We want the tyre sector to collect, sort and manage the waste they produce in an environmentally sound manner. No more and no less. The Industry is suggesting the introduction of the PRI will lead to increase in costs and job losses. This is nonsense and a smoke screen as they don’t want to accept responsibility for their own waste,” said the Minister Kelly.
PRI is in line with the “polluter pays principle” – a long standing and firmly established principle in both our domestic waste policy and legislation. It is also in keeping with the well-established systems that have been in place for packaging waste for 15 years and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment for 10 years.
The Minister for the Environment set up a Tyres Working Group to assist in designing a new structure to
give effect to the Review of the Producer Responsibility Initiative Model in Ireland report’s
recommendations on tyres and waste tyres. Significant progress was made on many issues by the
group to date. Industry representatives were given the opportunity to assist in the design of the new
system and in February of this year Minister Kelly announced the establishment of a Producer
Responsibility Initiative scheme for tyres – mirroring structures for other waste streams – to be operated by Repak with a registration and reporting role for the WEEE Register Society.
“We already have a serious problem with waste tyres in Ireland and the taxpayer is paying for it on the
double. Almost half of all waste tyres in Ireland are unaccounted for because the system that has been
in place since 2007 and which elements of the tyre industry want to maintain, has failed abysmally. As a
result, the taxpayers pay out once when they buy a new set of tyres by making a contribution to the
retailer towards the collection cost and then they pay again when those waste tyres end up illegally
dumped and have to be removed by local authorities. This system is not fit for purpose and cannot
continue,” added the Minister.
“The new system can be provided for without introducing any new costs, but rather by effectively
formalising an existing charge that is already applied to almost all tyre purchases. People will be aware
that when they buy new tyres currently the Industry is already applying a ‘recycling/environmental fee’
and this is normally indicated on the receipt.”
In recent weeks both rival tyre industry representative organisations have withdrawn from the
discussions over issues relating to the financial structure of the new system. While that is regrettable,
the fact is that fundamental pillars of any successful PRI structure elsewhere in the EU are a robust
financial model supported by an adequate visible Environmental Management Charge (vEMC). This
approach ensures that waste tyres are fully accounted for and properly treated without the taxpayer
having to pay over and over to remove the blight of illegal stockpiles across the country.
Despite the withdrawal by the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA) and the Independent Tyre
Wholesalers and Retailers Association (ITWRA), the Department of the Environment, Community and
Local Government will continue to work on the introduction of the new scheme in Ireland. Furthermore,
the Minister would encourage the tyre industry to embrace the opportunity they have to influence the
shape of the new structures, particularly in relation to those key issues around funding and structure.
This Government believes that a PRI for waste tyres can deliver significant benefits for the taxpayer, the environment and the tyre industry, in particular retailers, supporting job creation and the economy.
“I am appealing to the Industry to come back to the table and finish the discussions both sides entered
into in good faith. It is simply not good enough for any Industry to ignore the need to deal with their own waste I will not countenance a situation where the tax payer is asked to pay on the double. I am
committed to the introduction of a PRI in this area” ended the Minister.
- The Report on Tyres and Waste tyres, published in 2013, found that the current system is not
working with almost 50% of waste tyres unaccounted for, lower recycling and recovery rates than
other European countries, fly-tipping and stockpiling of waste tyres. - On 3rd September 2015 the members of the Tyres Working Group were asked for their views on
the suggested level of the vEMC and the recommendation that the charge would be paid through a
front loaded model. In the light of the Minister’s decision in February 2015 and subsequent
discussions with the Tyres Working Group, this request could not have come as a surprise to the
tyre industry. - The new compliance scheme for tyres will replace TRACS (the existing scheme) on 1st November
next. The new structures, which will be underpinned by legislation and a robust campaign of
enforcement, will go live in 2016 with a visible Environmental Management Charge of less than €3
per car tyre.
