During the TRA Conference, Georgia Elliott-Smith, CEO of the environmental campaign group Fighting Dirty, urged the government to work with the TRA if they want the Circular Economy to happen and address the climate change crisis
In her address to the TRA conference held on Tuesday in Warwickshire, Georgia Elliott-Smith encouraged the government to prioritise the regulatory reforms the TRA is calling for, welcoming the practical approach of the five-step Road to Reform published this summer.
The tyre recycling industry gathered at the Ardencote Hotel today for its annual conference, which examined the progress made over the last year and the current need for reforms to secure its long-term future. Georgia Elliott-Smith, who is a Chartered Engineer and worked as an environmental consultant and sustainability manager before founding Fighting Dirty and becoming a full-time environmental campaigner, commented: “There are real opportunities for UK tyre waste, but how can the industry progress? It is an unexpected but welcome union between the TRA and Fighting Dirty, but we are united in seeking a change to the rules currently in place regarding British end-of-life waste tyres (ELTs). We are partners when you agree that the climate crisis is real and we only have a limited time to reverse it. We can partner with the TRA because we both agree that we have to see a stop to the talking and a start to pulling the lever for change. Regulation and its enforcement are key to that.”
“Fighting Dirty will continue to initiate legal challenges when we see inaction by regulators, that’s why we initiated court proceedings against the Environment Agency in February, proceedings that led to the EA admitting that there was a failure to understand their responsibilities and regulate. Enhanced verification procedures are a positive step in the right direction, but we wait to see that they deliver the promised change – our legal action is only paused,” she added at the TRA conference.
Looking to the future and the potential industry changes, Georgia Elliott-Smith spoke about a vision for regulation, environmental campaigns and the tyre waste industry: “As an environmental campaign group, we have real concerns about false solutions. What does the Government actually mean by a Circular Economy? It must not lead to false solutions. Regulatorily reform needs to create new big industries that stop being transition solutions but create ends in themselves. Climate change is created by CO2. We don’t want new industries that are still able to produce yet more pollution. If we do that, we can see Green Industry and Circularity truly be the future of the UK industry.”
“Policy leadership can create the industry design solution of the future – what is possible in the tyre industry to move it to that new vision, that moves through transitory solutions to genuine solutions for the industry of the future. We all have to be troublemakers, to be a nuisance for a cause,” she concluded.
Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the TRA, said: “Today saw the largest gathering of TRA members and industry players in a year. There is a sense of possibility and optimism with a refocus on reform following the Waste Minister’s comments in Spring, but we still wait for that rhetoric to become a reality. Operational clarity for our members will come from the right decisions on regulatory reform being implemented. This must happen if we are to secure domestic capability and the long-term success of British used tyre processors. We all want to see reforms that stop malpractice and corner-cutting, which does so much damage to the environment and undermines legitimate operators.”
“As Georgia set out today, there is currently a big gap between the stated objective of Britain having a circular economy and what is happening in practice. We welcome the Environment Agency’s contributions to discussions today – we again encourage them (and DEFRA) to invite industry through their door so we can speak to them and help bring meaningful reform about. Partnership and cooperation are the quickest and most effective route down the road to reform that the Minister initiated nearly six months ago,” he added.
