Dick Gust, co-chairman of the Tire Industry Association's
Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), says he was genuinely
relieved to hear about the Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA) Feb. 23 decision to not classify scrap tires as solid
waste under the Clean Air Act.
“Clearly, the EPA has listened to the industry and understands
the valuable asset scrap tires provide as a cost effective
energy resource,” he says.
“Although the tire recycling industry is developing many new
product uses for scrap tires, the use of tire-derived fuel
produced from scrap tires continues to represent the single
largest market for the nearly 300 million scrap tires
generated in the U.S. annually,” Gust reports.
Industry data pegs the number of scrap tires consumed as
alternative fuel at around 50 million tires.
According to Gust, the loss or reduction of this market would
have had a dire economic impact on the tire recycling
industry, and he couldn’t believe that the EPA wasn’t focused
on the fact that recovering resources that replace petroleum
products has never been more important than it is
today.
Gust elaborates further on some of the “what ifs;” stating
that “had the markets for tire-derived fuel declined, the cost
for disposal for the tire collector/recycler would have
increased, since the scrap would had to have been disposed of
at a landfill - for a cost - as opposed to selling the
material as fuel.”
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He goes on to note that “in addition, since disposing of scrap
tires at a landfill is not allowed in certain areas, the scrap
material would encounter higher transportation costs to areas
that would accept tires. All of these cost increases to the
recycler would eventually find their way back to the retail
generator.”
Since these restrictions on utilizing landfills often lead to
illegal disposal activities, the tire dealer would be faced
with major liability concerns, should the collector be less
than honest, according to Gust.
“The dealer would face more scrutiny and possible fines from
enforcement officers who would attempt to reduce the potential
for illegal activities. In the past, when illegal dumping
occurred, the taxpayer often suffered as well, since they
ultimately would pay the cost for clean up when the culprits
could not be located,” he says.
“The EAC thanks TIA and the coalition of associations and
industries who devoted their time to express their position
and concerns to the EPA,” adds Gust. “Fortunately, the EPA
recognized that the tire recycling industry today is lead by
professional organizations that understand the value of the
scrap tire as a resource and properly manage that resource for
the benefit of business, industry and the environment.”
For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org.
