97% Of Tyres Now Recycled In Ireland

Ninety seven percent of car and motorcycle tyres are now recycled, according to the first review of a scheme to ensure waste tyres are disposed of correctly.

Welcoming the report, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, Richard Bruton, said: "As set out in the Climate Action Plan, managing our resources efficiently is crucial as we move towards a more sustainable, resilient society. We are taking actions across the board to ensure we manage our waste better."

Tyres are not biodegradable and can become a fire hazard if not disposed of correctly. This Scheme was established in 2017, to tackle illegal dumping of tyres, to gather accurate data on waste tyres and to promote good practice for managing tyres which have reached their end of life.

The focus of the first year of the Scheme was on passenger car and motorcycle tyres. The report being published today shows that the Scheme has been very successful, of the approximately 3.8 million tyres placed on the market last year, 97% were recycled.

Minister Bruton continued: "The results of the first year of this Scheme have been very promising - 31,000 tonnes of waste tyres were recovered and properly disposed of. We now have detailed data on the tyre market in Ireland. We will now consider the recommendations of the report and consider how best to extend the Scheme to other categories of tyres – truck and tractor tyres for example."

Recycled waste tyres can be put to a variety of uses including the creation of playgrounds, football pitches, horse arenas, garden edges and weed suppressant.

The review, which contains 15 recommendations, will now be circulated to stakeholders for their consideration.

Minister Bruton said: "The Climate Action Plan includes an action to expand our Producer Responsibility Schemes to new areas. We must ensure that producers take responsibility for the environmental impact of disposing of goods they put on the market."

(MH/JG)