Government procurement needed to address waste problem: TSA

According to Tyre Stewardship Australia, government procurement and a stronger product stewardship approach are the keys to processing the estimated 500,000 tonnes of used tyres generated in Australia annually.

The organisation’s CEO Lina Goodman said that markets for recycled tyre products had plateaued and could fail, during a recent address to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Procurement Practices of Government Agencies.

According to a statement from TSA on Friday, a product stewardship mindset to procurement could drive immediate, straightforward changes, “such as mandating crumb rubber in road asphalt, avoiding single-use tyres by supporting retread in government bus fleets and contracts, and by only buying tyres from brands and retailers that are voluntarily participating in Australia’s current voluntary product stewardship scheme.”

“We only have to look to Canada where government has effectively used regulation through tyre product stewardship to support initiatives, incentives and innovation in manufacturing using recycled materials,” added Goodman.

“One Canadian based rubber product manufacturer shared that their revenue increased tenfold as a direct result of government intervention in the form of tyre product stewardship regulation. And in turn, created circular economy jobs, increased the local consumption of used tyre material, and created a thriving product line sold across North America.” 

TSA is a not-for-profit that delivers the country’s Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme, is made up of members throughout the tyre industry supply chain, and is funded by a levy on new tyres sold in Australia by members of the scheme.

According to the group, over half of all used tyres were in 2022-23 for re-use or reprocessing, with 225,000 tonnes dumped or ending up in landfill or stockpiles.

Picture: credit TSA