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Draft Guidelines for Voluntary Industry-led Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme in Australia

The Australian Government’s Tyre Implementation Working Group (IWG) has issued draft guidelines for the voluntary industry-led tyre product stewardship scheme developed by the Tyre IWG. Comments on the Guidelines are now being sought, with comments closing 23 July 2012.

The Tyre IWG has representation from the Australian Tyre Industry Council, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Australian Motor Industry Federation, Australian Tyre Recyclers Association, Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce and the Australian and Queensland governments.

The tyre product stewardship scheme aims to increase domestic tyre recycling, expand the market for tyre derived products and reduce the number of Australian end-of-life tyres that are sent to landfill, illegally dumped or exported as whole baled tyres. The model scheme will be industry-led and operated, market based, and will acknowledge the inherent value of all end-of-life tyres across Australia.

The draft guidelines for the voluntary industry-led scheme have the following features:

• any stakeholder in the supply chain, including tyre manufacturers and importers, retailers, fleet operators, collectors, recyclers and local governments, may apply to become a participant in the voluntary scheme;
• a series of commitments that would apply to stakeholders in the supply chain that become participants in the scheme. These commitments require participants to play their part in ensuring end-of-life tyres go to an environmentally sound use;
• a company called Tyre Stewardship Australia, funded by tyre manufacturers and importers, that will be responsible for administering the scheme and for working to remove impediments to the development of a sustainable domestic tyre recycling industry;
• a tyre stewardship  fund to support  the scheme including education, communication, market development and early stage research;
• enterprise to enterprise agreements or contractual arrangements between businesses and organisations to ensure that end-of-life tyres go to an environmentally sound use, subject to consideration of relevant competition laws;
• a compliance component to be undertaken by Tyre Stewardship Australia through random and risk based audits, with failure to comply with commitments to the scheme leading to revocation of a participant’s accreditation; and
• costs associated with ensuring the environmentally sound use of end-of-life tyres are likely to be passed on to consumers at around the same level as disposal charges that are paid by many tyre consumers now.

Consultation process

The Tyre IWG is seeking comments, closing on 23 July 2012. During this period, written submissions are invited and information meetings will be held in all capital cities and one major regional centre. Details about the venues are to be confirmed.

Pre-register your attendance at the information meetings or the bilateral meetings as soon as possible (and at least three business days before the scheduled date) by emailing tyre-iwg@environment.gov.au. Please include your name, organisation, contact details and number(s)/name(s) of attendees.

Making a submission

The closing date for submissions is 23 July 2012. Submissions may be lodged to tyre-iwg@environment.gov.au. A coversheet for submissions and privacy statement are available.

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