If you handle waste tyres you have a legal responsibility over their disposal. Businesses wishing to dispose of waste tyres must follow the legal requirements contained in the duty of care. Following the duty of care will ensure your business stays within the law and does not harm the environment.
DUTY OF CARE
The duty of care is a legal requirement under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It applies if you produce, import, carry, keep, treat, or dispose of waste tyres. It requires you to take all reasonable steps to ensure that waste tyres are not handled illegally and that they are only transferred to an authorised person together with a waste transfer note.
HOW TO COMPLY
If you transfer waste tyres to someone else, you must be sure they are authorised to take them. All authorised waste carriers are registered with the Environment Agency (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in Scotland) and have a certificate of registration.
When handing waste tyres to your authorised carrier, you must complete a waste transfer note giving a written description of the waste. Waste transfer notes vary in appearance but must contain certain information. You must keep copies of all waste transfer notes for a minimum of two years. Environment Agency officials who visit your premises will need to see these. Check your waste carrier will transport your waste tyres to authorised facilities such as recycling sites, licensed incinerators or landfills.
Protect and store your waste tyres safely, preventing any escape. The maximum storage limit, under an exemption from waste management licensing, is 1000 tyres.
WHY COMPLY
Following the duty of care will ensure your business avoids prosecution and loss of business through poor public image. Adopting good practice will improve both your company’s business and environmental performance. Making sure your waste tyres are disposed of legally will help to improve the management of waste tyres in the UK and support development of sustainable recovery and recycling.
FAILURE TO COMPLY
Failure to comply with the duty of care is a criminal offence. Action will be taken to prosecute those found using unauthorised channels and illegally dumping tyres. If you fail to comply with the duty of care you could be fined an unlimited amount.
Retailers Codes of Practice
We are in the process of setting up a used tyre recycling plant in South Wales, UK. We plan to collect used car tyres and then to shred them into crumbs and granulate for recycling. If anyone is interested in either having their tyres taken away or in buying rubber crumb or rubber granulate please contact me.
I am inviting comments from people in waste management about the current state of UK legislation regarding the reuse of waste tyres for other purposes.
From: Jonathan Priddey Reply
Will the landfilling of catapillar tracks for site machinery be subject to the same resrictions as regular tyre? If yes, is there a company who is able to recycle them?
From: John Matthews Reply
I am looking for a scottish company (if possible) to supply up to 70 tonnes of rubber chippings for an outdoor exercise arena for my horses. Chippings need to be betwen 10 – 25 mm. Can anyone help provide a name and address?
From: Lyn Lewis Reply
Is there a company out there who have a waste tyre collection in Cornwall
From: Sarah Reply
Can anybody tell me where I can find information on what is classed as a ‘Shredded Tyre’? And any ne EU laws coming into place.
From: Adam Reply
How does an Education and Training establishment dispose of their tyres legally, whilst conforming to BS 14001.
From: Alex McGowan Reply
I am looking for a company that makes walls out of old tyres by wiring them together. Making wall sections suitable to make a sugar beet clamp on a farm.
From: Ian Johnson Reply
What is the commercially viable specification of carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil?
From: Chandra Mohan Reply
I am about to start up a go-karting business in scotland, can i use old tyres on my circuit and do i have to pay for them if they going to be recycled anyway?
From: Brian Wilson Reply
I have found a way to make a usefull product out of used tyres . Why no one has done this before has suprissed me. Has the potential to get rid of all tyres.I have submitted a provisional patent in Australia to cover this Idea. Looking for Seed Capital.
From: Steve Rathbone Reply
I live in the Stockport area near to a franchised garage which regularly store used tyres about 20,at the rear of their premises which is the road on which I live. The tyres are in the open insecured a few feet from the pavement.It has become the custom of local youths at weekend to re distribute them around the street.Are the garage in breach of these regulations
From: Ian Hinsley Reply
We have around 1500 tyres to dispose of in the Shrewsbury area. We would like to do it responsibly but are a non-profit making club. Can anyone advise the sort of costs that would be involved.
From: Carla Stubbings Reply
After recently closing a quad bike track I have several hundred tyres to dispose of. I’m looking for advice on what is the best way to do this and the cheapest,or companies that wiil come and collect them free of charge for recycling
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