Kmart Tyre & Auto signs on to tyre recycling scheme

KMART Tyre & Auto Service has become the latest accredited entity in Tyre Stewardship Australia’s national tyre recycling scheme.

Joining other big names such as Beaurepaires, Bridgestone and Tyrepower – and numerous independent retailers – Kmart Tyre & Auto Service’s inclusion, which adds more than 240 stores to the scheme, takes the total number of TSA-accredited tyre outlets to around 1000.

Underway since mid-2014, the stewardship scheme is an industry-led initiative that addresses issues such as the growing stockpile of end-of-life tyres, illegal dumping of tyres and the low rate of recycling, which currently stands at about 16 per cent in Australia.

The industry estimates that some 50 million tyres require disposal every year, putting the onus on retailers to consider responsible recycling practices.

Tyres typically end up as landfill or in stockpiles, while a significant portion is also exported.

Kmart Tyre & Auto Service managing director Adam Pay said: “As a business, we take our environmental strategy seriously, and our participation in the Tyre Stewardship Australia scheme further demonstrates our existing commitment to the responsible recycling of end-of-life tyres.”

TSA chief executive Matt Genever said the impact of the accreditation scheme was becoming “increasingly obvious to consumers and industry players”.

“With so many retailers, collectors and recyclers on board, we are well on the way to achieving one of our key objectives: to ensure that accredited entities operate efficiently with one another right through the tyre distribution chain,” he said.

“This will enable TSA to provide transparency on the fate of our end-of-life tyres through our integrated reporting system.”

Mr Genever added that he was “confident this momentum will continue”.

“We are also well advanced in creating the structures and resources necessary to meet our other objectives of market development for recycled material and public and industry education,” he said.

The tyre stewardship program is being managed by representatives from across the tyre supply chain, including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and collectors, and is backed by the Australian Motor Industry Federation and the Minerals Council of Australia.

The scheme is authorised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and has received support from federal and state and territory governments.

Funding is raised via a levy of 25 cents on every new tyre sold in Australia.

Tyre manufacturers involved in the program – including Continental, Goodyear-Dunlop, Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo and Yokohama – have also provided financial support.

According to TSA, the funds are being ploughed into industry and consumer education, independent auditing designed to eradicate dirty, unsafe and illegal practices, and research and development on new uses for the recycled raw materials.

As GoAuto has reported, a typical tyre contains around 7kg of rubber, 1.5kg of steel and 500g of textiles.

Material from recycled tyres is currently used in road construction, a variety of other surfaces (such as soft landings on playgrounds), brake pads, industrial and domestic flooring, tile adhesive, draining aggregates and fuel.

With the latter, crumbed rubber is now being used as a diesel fuel substitute in explosive compounds in the mining industry.