Information on the position regarding disposal of tyres to UK Landfill after July 2006
THE NATIONAL Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) has played a key role in averting serious environmental consequences by seeking and obtaining EC legal clarification on the use of shredded tyres in landfill engineering.
NISP and Landfilling Tyres
In case you have not heard of NISP, here is an explanation:
Industrial Symbiosis brings together companies from all business sectors with the aim of improving cross industry resource efficiency by exchanging materials, energy and water and sharing assets, logistics and expertise.
NISP, with thousands of members across the UK, is funded through Defra's Business Resource Efficiency and Waste fund and helps its members find sustainable commercial opportunities through effective resource management.
Tyres and the EU Landfill Directive
The Landfill Directive declared that only whole tyres could be used for landfill engineering, meaning that shredded tyres were effectively outlawed, but following approaches from a number of its members NISP alerted Defra, which in turn approached the EC for clarification. The response was that the Landfill Directive is concerned with disposal of waste, not recovery, meaning that recovery activities fall outside the ban and shredded tyres could be used.
Peter Laybourn, NISP director explained (CIWM Journal, March 2006) that 25 percent of the UK's waste tyres were used as landfill leachate drainage layers, and added: "Strict implementation of the regulations would have removed this major disposal avenue, and raised the problem of having to find an alternative home for more than 1 Om used tyres each year."
NISP Report on the use of Tyres in Landfill
The report concluded:
“ that used tyre derived aggregate replacement (UTDAR) provided a more sustainable alternative to virgin aggregates as a leachate drainage blanket in landfill as well as offering substantial operator cost savings. The European Commission has now confirmed that the use of shredded tyres in landfill when considered on a case by case basis can be classed as recovery.
NISP provides an Acrobat File on this subject here.
Alternative Tyre Disposal Methods
The other main disposal method for tyres is incineration. Tyres have a high calorific value and incinerate well, particularly if shredded when they can be used in combination with other materials as a fuel.
Visit our other pages about tyre recycling:
Tyre Bales Can be Used Like Almost Free Gabions!
Tyre Recycling
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