The journey to tyre stewardship
The Tyrewise™ project was set up in 2012 to provide a framework for the development of a stewardship programme to manage end-of-life tyres (ELTs) in New Zealand.
The industry-led framework for a mandatory stewardship programme for ELTs was signed off and presented to then Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith, in August 2013. This was based on the then National Government taking the step to declare tyres as priority product using the provisions of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.
A further review by KPMG, to “research economic barriers to tyre recycling in New Zealand” determined that the cost benefits of three options (‘status quo’, ‘bounded free market’ and ‘mandatory product stewardship’), met the net benefit test with the difference between them being “immaterial”.
In 2016, inviting applications to the Waste Minimisation Fund, the National government proceeded with an investment strategy to secure markets for ELTs. Funding was awarded to a number of projects in June 2017. This step postponed any decision about declaring tyres a ‘priority product’ until the results of this funding investment materialised and effectively put Tyrewise ‘on hold’.
Renewed focus
Following the 2017 election, the new coalition government included “to establish a tyre stewardship fund” (p4) as one of their coalition priorities for their first term.
This renewed industry hopes a mandatory product stewardship solution for tyres would be put in place.
Since that time, the Associate Minister for the Environment and the Ministry for the Environment have confirmed they will be working on regulating six waste streams – tyres, synthetic greenhouse gases, agricultural chemicals, farm plastics, e-waste and plastic packaging, and in May 2019 the Tyrewise project was officially resurrected.
The 2019 project
The 2019 project has updated the Tyrewise Product Stewardship Scheme reports which were produced as part of the original project in 2012-2013.
This includes what currently happens, best practice, preferred stewardship options, mass balance data on tyre imports and the recovery and recycling of ELTs from 2015 to 2018.
Consultation has taken place on the preferred stewardship option which will include all registered tyre importers and resellers and registered collectors, recyclers and end market developers of ELTs.
In July 2020, the final report was issued.
Current situation
The Tyrewise Working Group, led by 3R Group, is currently working with the Ministry for the Environment on the steps required to meet the August 2022 deadline for scheme launch.
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