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Spain’s TNU has confirmed its participation as an institutional sponsor in the Jornadas Iberoamericanas Del Reciclaje 2023 (the Iberoamerican Conference on Recycling)
The event will take place from September 18 to 22 at the NOS Convention Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) in Lima.
TheJornadas Iberoamericanas Del Reciclaje 2023 is an important sector meeting that brings together experts and professionals in the field of tyre recycling from all over Latin America. This event provides an excellent opportunity to explore various technological and regulatory alternatives, developments and solutions related to tire recycling.
Within the framework of the XVII Latin American Conference on Rubber Technology, the Recycling Conference will offer a wide range of technical, scientific and commercial presentations related to ELT management systems in Latin America, new regulations, innovation in materials, experimental development, research , recycling technologies, tyre retreading, use of ELT in asphalt mixtures for roads, maintenance and management of mining OTR at the end of its useful life, among other relevant topics.
This unique biennial event brings together academia, industry, and government in pursuit of a common goal: caring for the environment. It is an unparalleled opportunity to network, share knowledge and promote collaboration in the tyre recycling industry. In addition, as part of your participation in these conferences, and courtesy of the Latin American Society of Rubber Technology SLTC, through TNU you can benefit from a special 10% discount on registration.
To take advantage of this offer, it is necessary to register at thislink, using the discount code “TNU10”.
The management of end-of-life tyres represents a serious challenge at a global level, both from a technological, economic and ecological point of view. Every year 19 million tons of tyres are generated in the world, and more than 800 million units are discarded. In this context, analysing the trends in scientific and technological progress, and identifying the main agents of innovation, is essential to improve the management of the NFU. TNU is pleased to be part of theJornadas Iberoamericanas Del Reciclaje 2023and contribute through this collaboration to the advancement of the tyre recycling industry.
On the event’s official website at www.jornadascaucho.com/reciclaje, you will be able to access the preliminary conference guide and extended information about the conferences.
The Russian Ecological Operator (REO), a government agency authorised to supervise waste recycling reform, has started attracting celebrities to its campaign of promoting responsible tyre management practices
In a recently distributed video, Dmitry Guberniev, one of the Russian most popular sports commentators, called Russians to make the country cleaner by delivering tyres to collecting services.
With the new push, REO seeks to combat a long-standing problem of a low passenger tyres collection rate. It is believed that a large number of passenger tyres in the country end up in landfills or even on the roadside or forest, owing to the low popularity of sustainable practices among the population.
For instance, an investigation conducted by the Tatarstan-based news outlet Kazan Firstdiscovered that hundreds of thousands of passenger tyres end their life outside of the official waste collecting system. In theory, tyre collecting companies should accept used tyres for free, but the journalist discovered that, all operators demand a fee of at least 50 roubles ($0.7) per tyre. This is not much, but most car owners don’t understand why they have to pay for something they could just throw away, the publication explained.
Denis Butsaev, head of the REO, estimated that every year 1 million tonnes of used tyres are generated in Russia, adding that extensive work is underway to ramp up the tyre recycling rate in the country. In particular, Russian lawmakers are working on renewing the terms of the extended producer’s responsibility (EPR), which should give an additional impetus for the growth in waste collection and recycling capacities. Still, when it comes to passenger tyres, car owners should play a vital role in the new system.
Currently, nearly 200 tyre recycling companies are operating in Russia, REO estimated, though only 80 are officially registered to perform this kind of activity. Still, only 50 per cent of car owners deliver their used tyres for recycling, meaning that 500,000 tonnes of tyres are not properly disposed of. REO acknowledges the problem that the tyre collecting system is not working as designed, though some collecting services are willing even to pay citizens for used tyres. However, this seems to be more of an exception than a rule.
A new tyre recycling facility is scheduled for Sarajevo
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection Almir Becarevic presented a permit for waste management for the processing and recycling of old waste tires this week to Sarajevo Zlatko Sejmenovic, the director of NEGRO CROWN d.o.o.
This puts NEGRO Crown in the position to open a tyre recycling facility in the Sarajevo Canton.
Minister Almir Becarevic praised the initiative and the investment of about 800.000 BAM in the waste recycling system.
Through this project in Sarajevo, 10 new jobs will be created and the opportunity the legitimate disposal of old tyres.
The Law on Waste Management and the Rulebook on Waste Tyre Management prescribe that old tyres must be recycled and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, according to National and EU regulations. Contrary to a report in a Bosnian paper, this will not be the first tyre recycling centre in Sarajevo, as Eco & Tyres Group already recycle earthmover tyres at the only such site, they claim, in the Balkans.
The UK’s voluntary end-of-life tyre management operation only works when people pay attention to their Duty of Care
In theory, a retailer fitting tyres is supposed to check that when his tyres are collected, that they are going to follow a legitimate route to recycling/ disposal. The reality is that many, particularly small independent retailers will have their tyres collected at the lowest collection fee they are offered. This often leads to illicit tyre stockpiles, or worse, flytipping.
Being realistic, nobody actually expects the retailer to call up the stated destination for his tyres to check that the collection is valid. If they use a legitimate collector with all the proper licences to collect their tyres, and complete the required paperwork; they can presume that their tyres are being disposed of correctly.
Except, sometimes that is not the case, as a recent case against The Tyre Waste Tyre Team proved.
Peter Taylor of the TRA says; “The Tyre Recovery Association has long emphasised the central importance of legal Duty of Care compliance when dealing with our nation’s waste tyres, failure to do so can be a costly oversight. Contrary to what many seem to believe, that duty begins not at the point of disposal but from the very moment a used tyre is removed from a wheel. In the past, this salient fact has been all to frequently brushed aside by those who generate waste or even properly addressed by our regulators. Now at last attitudes seem to be changing. “
The Environment Agency has trumpeted a massive £100000.00 fine plus costs imposed on a tyre collector accused of feeding some 250,000 end of life tyres over the course of a year to recovery sites whose two T8 permits allowed for just a fraction of that amount. The operator of those sites had previously been prosecuted for breaches of the T8 exemption. Facts that the simplest Duty of Care checks would have verified.
Worse still, the collector in question was found by the Agency to have maintained totally inadequate records in clear breach of statutory regulations.
Taylor concludes; “The TRA has long urged the EA and other regulators to attack poor and illegal practices in the recovery chain from the very obvious start point of when an old tyre is first removed from its wheel, only then will compliance standards across the whole recovery chain be improved and ignorance of the law rightfully rejected as a valid defence. That the Environment Agency has heard our argument is to be commended.”
Oldrati Guarnizioni Industriali SpA, part of the Oldrati Group, an Italian leader in the production of rubber, plastic and silicone products, has announced an investment of more than 6 million euros
This latest project will be carried out thanks to the support of the Ministry of Enterprise andMade in Italy (MIMIT), with the resources managed by the National Complementary Fund (PNC), which has integrated and completed the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) programme developed by the European Union in 2021.
Among the objectives of Oldrati’s research project, is the development of an innovative competence aimed at the regeneration of technical rubber articles that have reached the end of their life. Once regenerated, it will be possible to reintroduce the new raw material into the production chain, thus reducing landfill waste, the consumption of virgin raw materials and CO2 emissions. A distinctly innovative and sustainable process in the world of polymers.
The application selection and validation process was particularly thorough and rigorous. In fact, the company presented a project to the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy.
“Getting support for a particularly advanced and innovative research project like this represents recognition of our ability to lead highly innovative projects. In particular in a key area for improving the sustainability of the rubber and plastic sector.” said Paolo Morandi, R&D Group Director.
“Together with the entire Oldrati Research and Development team, we are particularly enthusiastic about carrying out such a significant project. Working on initiatives that actively contribute to improving the environment makes us feel very motivated and stimulates an ever greater orientation towards sustainable innovation”.
Pyrum Innovations AG has been nominated for the “Rising Star” award, the only German company to be considered
This is part of the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards and is a joint initiative of the Federation of European This Securities Exchanges (FESE), the European Commission and European Issuers. This year, Pyrum is the only German company among the nominees in this category. With this award, FESE recognises the resilience and innovative strength of small and medium-sized companies across the European Union and their contribution to economic growth.
Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG said; “Being nominated as a ‘Rising Star’ by FESE is an extraordinary honour for us. We are pleased to be the only German company among the nominees and see this as a recognition of our efforts in the field of end-of-life tyre recycling. This nomination is an important incentive to continue to deliver excellence and drive the circular economy forward”.
The European Small and Mid-Cap Awards will take place this year in Bilbao, Spain, as part of the European Commission’s annual SME Assembly in mid-November 2023. Organised by FESE, an association of 35 European stock exchanges, the award aims to raise awareness of the benefits of equity financing and encourage smaller companies to consider this financing option. In addition to Pyrum, eight other European companies are in the running for the prestigious “Rising Star” award.
The Nigerian National Environmental Standards and Regulations Agency (NESREA) has signed a working agreement with an organisation named Used Tyres Producer Responsibility of Nigeria UTPRO, to ensure proper environmental enforcement on used tyres
The Director General of the agency, Professor Aliyu Jauro, noted that the body UTPRO, aims to enhance the management of End-of-Life (EOL) Tyres for the sustainable development of our environment, through recycling of the products.
He also noted that alarming statistics have revealed that a staggering one billion end-of-life tyres are generated globally, with approximately four billion currently occupying landfills and stockpiles worldwide. InNigeria alone, the automobile sector generates around ten million tyres each year without any environmentally friendly management traceability data.
NESREA’s Prof. Aliya Juaro
Prof Aliyu believes that these figures highlight the need for action in Nigeria. He added that; “NESREA, as the enforcement arm of the Federal Ministry of Environment, is entrusted with the mandate of ensuring compliance with environmental laws, regulations, standards, guidelines, policies, and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to which Nigeriais a signatory; as well as prohibit the use of equipment or processes that undermine environmental quality, among other powers.”
He informed that to ensure the protection of the environment, public health and biodiversity, the Agency has established 34 national environmental regulations, including the National Environmental (Domestic and Industrial Plastic, Rubber, and Foam sector) Regulations, which includes tyres.
While appreciating the efforts of the Used Tyre Producer Responsibility Organisation (UTPRO) for the establishment of this organisation in partnership with the Agency to tackle and control the menace of ELT, commended its efforts as a third-party producer responsibility organisation (PRO) established within the collective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to effectively implement programmes aimed at combating the issue of waste management.
The Chairman of UTPRO, Hon. Billy Nwaoye, explained that UTPRO is a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the management of used tyres in Nigeria, with the emphasis that the current problem the country faces stems from the alarming rate at which used tyres are being discarded in Nigeria.
Australia is one of the world’s largest consumers of OTR tyres, yet its OTR recycling record is poor; TSA’s latest report looks at the issue in detail
Traditionally, mining operations would make use of the excavated areas when work had finished to dump their waste. In some places, the sites would become mixed waste dumps. It makes sense that the cheapest route to dispose of waste is to bury it. There are minimal transport costs, no processing costs, and the site is ready for use without any modification.
Whitehaven Coal were permitted to bury OTR tyres on site
However, simply landfilling waste, especially tyres, is no longer morally acceptable in most developed economies. So, surely Australia cannot simply allow landfilling of OTR tyres to continue? But it does, and that is a problem that Tyre Stewardship Australia say needs to be addressed.
OTR tyres contain a high level of natural rubber, and companies such as Michelin and Kal Tire, amongst others, have recognised this. When driven by legislation in Chile, these companies developed processes to recycle OTR tyres.
Essentially, the Chilean government made it more economical to process the tyres for recycling than to bury them. That simple move through legislation mandating recycling changed the way tyres were handled in the country.
Tyre Stewardship Australia’s report called “Tipping the Balance” identified five key barriers to OTR tyre recycling:
the low perceived costs of on-site disposal,
the high costs of logistics and recovery,
uncertainty about technologies and waste management approaches,
uncertainty about end market size and capacity, and
a low priority for tyre waste stewardship.
Tyre Stewardship Australia’s Lina Goodman
TSA’s Lina Goodmansays; “Our first step is to reconsider the current voluntary Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme; at the moment, we don’t have the authorisation to support the supply chain for OTR rubber products that Australia needs.
“A second step is to engage all the parties involved in supplying, using, and recovering OTR rubber products and the various other stakeholders who are affected by or have a say in how these products are used.
“I’m talking about tyre manufacturers, wholesalers and recyclers, mining and agricultural companies, governments at all levels, researchers, indigenous peoples and local communities. I encourage them all to read this report and understand the implications and opportunities it identifies. Ignoring this report and failing to act will only compound the existing issues and exacerbate this already lost opportunity.”
Goodman is clearly pulling her punches. There is a political game being played out on tyre stewardship in Australia, where the voluntary nature of the system allows massive loopholes in management. However, changing this will take a change of culture in government against what is a very powerful lobby in the country, the mining industry.
It is easy for Tyre and Rubber Recycling to make suggestions from afar, and as always, those at the business end of the industry will have all the arguments as to why there are barriers and why they cannot be overcome.
Of course, we only need to consider how Europe changed its waste tyre challenge. It outlawed the landfilling of whole tyres (with derogations), Or to Chile, where the law was created to drive recycling forward.
If the Australian government were to make Tyre Stewardship Australia mandatory, and if they introduced federal legislation that prohibited the landfilling of OTR tyres incrementally, as has been done in Chile, then the issue of recycling OTR tyres would get addressed pretty quickly.
Then there is the potential to question the sustainability credentials of the tyre manufacturers themselves. The tyre industry media is full of stories of tyre manufacturing sustainability, which Tyre and Rubber Recycling has questioned in the past. So, if these manufacturers are so keen on sustainability, why are they allowing their products to be landfilled? They are the producers of the product, and internationally, producer responsibility has been taken as going back to the manufacturer. Why are these companies allowing their products to be landfilled? Why are they not helping to create a sustainable recycling process for OTR tyres?
So far, we have discussed the first and last barriers – the ease of landfill and the ineffectiveness of a voluntary stewardship scheme.
If they can be delivered, they can be collected, surely? image: Shutterstock
Reverse logistics can address the costs of logistics and recovery. If a supplier delivers a set of tyres to a mine – his trucks have the capability to take away the arisings on their return journey. The issue then becomes one of how to process those tyres. The lead on that has been taken by retreading and by recycling. OTR tyres can be retreaded for a second use, and the plants being developed by Michelin and Kal Tire, and others show that the OTR tyres can be processed to recover steel, oil and carbon black, at least. Rubber buffings from OTR tyres are high in natural rubber, and there is always a demand for reclaimed natural rubber products.
The technologies are available to buff, cut, pyrolyse, and devulcanise – the question becomes a matter of economics and choice.
Of course, as always, the final piece of the jigsaw will always be the markets – and as with all other recycled tyre materials, what do you do with the recovered materials?
Well, rubber crumb with a high natural rubber content is, anecdotally, always in demand; tyre-derived oil and recovered carbon black are in growing demand globally, – and here we can look to the carbon black producers as an indicator of the change in the market. All carbon black producers of any note now include sustainable blacks, either incorporatingrecovered carbon blacks or using sustainable carbon black manufactured from tyre-derived oil.
From the outside, the argument is clear that Australia’s OTR tyres should be recycled rather than landfilled. But politics and economics always cloud the picture and obfuscate the arguments. However, ultimately, Australia will have to act on its OTR tyre arisings and address the issue of landfilling once and for all.
This is an extension of a previous agreement made between Bolder and Soucy and a result of Bolder’s ability to deliver product quality and consistency over many years—signalling a major achievement in the recovered carbon black industry.
The partnership between Bolder and Soucy began in 2016 with a co-development of plastic masterbatch at Soucy’s Sherbrooke-based lab. Since then, Soucy has continued to expand the use of BolderBlack in their plastics components for agricultural and industrial vehicle sectors with a 1,000 per cent increase in volume offtake of BolderBlack over the last 5 years.
“As is typical, we started small with Soucy to demonstrate our ability to deliver quality product at an exceptional value,” said Tony Wibbeler, CEO & Founder of Bolder Industries. “Every year since Soucy has doubled down on their support of Bolder and their commitment to sustainability by increasing their volume of BolderBlack. We’re exceptionally proud of our ability to deliver consistency to Soucy order after order, month after month and we look forward to doing so for years to come.”
Bolder and Soucy have worked collaboratively on product development and the logistics required to deliver true sustainability to Soucy end customers. As a result, Soucy’s use of BolderBlack has resulted in over 1.5 million end-of-life tyres being diverted from incineration or landfills, cutting 39,000 tons of CO2 emissions, and saving over 117.5 million gallons of water and 13 million kWh of electricity since the inception of their work with Bolder.
“Continuing to use BolderBlack has been an easy choice for Soucy Techno. Beyond the sustainability, cost savings and the ease of working with Bolder Industries, we have enjoyed the consistent performance of the material month after month. We don’t have to worry about changes in carbon content, bulk density or particle size, which are key to our process and product performance”, said François Bédard, Directeur General of Soucy Techno. Currently,Bolder supplies Soucy from their first site in Maryville, which processes nearly 2 million end-of-life tyres annually. In 2023, Bolder will begin development of its second facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, which will process 6.6 million ELTs per year once fully operational.
Two directors of The Tyre Waste Team Limited have been handed suspended prison sentences after an investigation uncovered a “significant fire risk” at two illegal sites in Bradford and Calderdale.
Some time ago, Tyre and Rubber Recycling was approached about a potentially illegal tyre yard in Luddenden Foot, Halifax. A neighbour was wanting to complain about tyres being stored in the yard close to his house.
Tyre and Rubber Recycling looked at the site at the time, which had a T8 Exemption, and could see no obvious breach of the rules, apart from some tyres dumped at its entrance. We advised the complainant to speak to the local environmental health and Environment Agency.
Now, two of the directors of the operating company The Tyre Waste Team, have been sentenced for breaches of environmental rules.
A third person who ran an end-of-life vehicle site and who processed tyres supplied by the company has also received a suspended sentence.
The sites, at Fairlea Mills at Luddendenfoot, Calderdale and in Ashley Lane, Shipley, Bradford, were discovered during a joint operation by the Environment Agency (EA), Calderdale Council, Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
The Fairlea ELV vehicle site was operated by Shakil Ahmed under a T8 environmental permit. The Tyre Waste Team Limited, run by directors Jamie Craggs and Levi Depass, supplied tyres to Ahmed for treatment.
The company operated at the site under a T8 exemption. The investigation revealed the tonnage of tyres “significantly exceeded” the 40 tonnes limit laid out in the exemption.
When served with an enforcement notice, The Tyre Waste Team relocated to a site at Shipley under another T8 exemption.
This was considered to be a significant fire risk.
The investigating officers said in addition to the exemption limit being exceeded, there were no fire breaks between piles. With homes and businesses nearby both sites, the impact from a fire would have been serious.
A prosecution was brought to Bradford Crown Court. Ahmed, aged 42, of Spinners Close, Halifax, Craggs, aged 34, of Sedbergh Close, Bradford, and Depass, aged 35, of West Royd Road, Shipley, pleading guilty.
Ahmed was sentenced to ten months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, 250 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs. He had a further offence taken into consideration for offending between June 2021 and December 2022.
Craggs and Depass were both sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, 250 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs.
The Tyre Waste Team Limited was fined £10,000 fine and ordered to pay costs of £2,500.
Ben Hocking, EA environment manager, said: “This case was the culmination of a joint campaign between the Environment Agency, the local councils and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to target sites where the risk of fire could have resulted in a significant impact on the environment and harm to human health.”
Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council cabinet member for public services and communities, said: “The scale of punishment in this very serious case of environmental crime is a positive outcome for local residents and the whole borough.
“Our zero-tolerance approach prompted the Council’s enforcement action against the business in 2022, when we became aware of a major fire risk on site. We immediately served a Community Protection Notice, which prohibited the site from being used and required the business to remove the tyre and other waste to mitigate the fire risk.”
This case joins others as a clear example of why the T8 exemptions need to be removed to minimise the ease of abuse of the system.
