A nation-wide education campaign is about to be launched to make sustainable management of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) live and relatable in the minds of consumers. Tyre Stewardship Australia is behind the launch of a print and online consumer education campaign to get the subject of tyre disposal on the agenda.
TSA reckon the campaign will clearly illustrate the size of the challenge Australia faces in dealing with ELTs and offer a pathway to solutions. A recent industry study confirmed the facts, Australia produces over 51 million end-of-life tyres each year with only a very small proportion currently recycled domestically.
Tyre Stewardship Australia has been set up as an industry supported body working to create environmentally sustainable outcomes for Australia’s ELTs. TSA says it now has, in place, an infrastructure to implement a nationwide accreditation and audit scheme around the industry management of ELTs.
The accreditation application and reporting mechanisms, a sound management structure and all of the necessary processes to ensure effective operation of the Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme have been established.
According to the TSA, accreditation applications, from all levels of the industry, have been forthcoming in significant numbers, and there are now close to 1,000 tyre retailers accredited within the scheme. The collectors and recyclers already accredited represent the majority of the volume of ELTs handled in Australia and accreditations of significant national fleets, including Australia Post and the Australian Defence Force, have also begun.
The TSA was established by tyre the industry, with the support of federal and state governments, to instigate a robust reporting and accreditation program, educate industry and consumers and to help develop the longer term solutions that will turn a current environmental challenge into an economic opportunity.
The new public campaign has been targeted to add consumer understanding, with the aim of creating a commercial incentive for all of the industry to participate. According to the TSA, the overall outcome from its initiatives should be to improve environmentally sustainable management of end-of-life tyres in Australia, which will be to the benefit of all.