The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has issued a position statement promoting and supporting a competitive, market-based system to manage the flow of scrap tires and scrap tire materials.
TIA says the existing free enterprise system of scrap tire management is highly successful with a scrap tire recovery rate approaching 90%.
TIA says recent legislation introduced in a few states would shift the responsibility for managing scrap tires to the manufacturer of the product. Many of these “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) or Product Stewardship bills are drafted in a way that would restrict or interfere with the free flow of scrap tires to selected markets.
Establishing an extended producer responsibility system in the U.S. would:
* create an additional level of management or oversight;
* add costs without any significant benefit;
* remove the retailer from direct negotiations with their suppliers; and
* replace an efficient well established free market-based system for managing scrap tires with an unproven system.
“TIA supports a competitive free market system that does not interfere with the free flow of scrap tire recyclable materials,” says TIA Executive Vice President Roy Littlefield.
The position statement was developed by the TIA’s Environmental Advisory Council (EAC).
In addition to the position statement, TIA has submitted comments to the Environment Committee in the State of Connecticut regarding S.B. No. 869 which would establish a tire stewardship program in the state. TIA is opposed to the bill. The Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015.
Here is TIA’s entire scrap tires and producer responsibility position statement:
The Tire Industry Association promotes and supports a competitive, market based system to manage the flow of scrap tires and scrap tire material. This free enterprise system of scrap tire management is highly successful today with a scrap tire recovery rate approaching 90%.
During the past 20 years, markets for the scrap tire material have been created domestically and globally. Today, scrap tires are being diverted from landfills and the tire recycling industry is converting this valuable raw material into useful products. Many states have enacted legislation to track and regulate the flow of scrap tires from the point of generation to collection, storage, processing and final end use. These rules and regulations effectively address stockpile abatement, provide a tracking and enforcement mechanism to reduce illegal dumping and support market development through a free enterprise system.
Recently, legislation has been introduced in a few states that would shift the responsibility for managing scrap tires to the manufacturer of the product. Many of these “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) or Product Stewardship bills are drafted in a way that would restrict or interfere with the free flow of scrap tires to selected markets. Establishing an extended producer responsibility system in the United States would create an additional level of management or oversight, would add costs without any significant benefit, would remove the retailer from direct negotiations with their suppliers and would replace an efficient, well-established free market-based system for managing scrap tires with an unproven system.
The free-market based system in place today has created a self-sustaining scrap tire recycling industry with a stable infrastructure that is vibrant, competitive, and free market based. TIA supports a competitive free market system that does not restrict, direct or interfere with the free flow of scrap tire recyclable materials from the point of generation to the final end use.
