Scotland to intensify focus on used tyre challenges

United Kingdom – Through a new partnership in Scotland, entrepreneurs are being challenged to find sustainable business opportunities for used tyres over the coming five years. At the same time, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has committed to developing a dedicated sector plan that will set actions and targets for tackling the issues surrounding used tyres, including that of illegal dumping.

Entrepreneurial Scotland will work with the Saltire Fellowship entrepreneur development programme to explore innovative ways of creating viable business opportunities from scrap tyres. ‘Working closely with entrepreneurs and those immersed in entrepreneurial thinking will significantly enhance SEPA’s own traditional approaches to regulation,’ the agency comments.

‘Our Saltire Fellows are without a doubt the right candidates to take on this challenge,’ says Entrepreneurial Scotland’s managing director James Stuart. ‘In the coming months, this year’s cohort will spend time at Babson College in Boston (USA) and be immersed in entrepreneurial thinking. That entrepreneurial thinking will then focus on viable solutions to combat the waste tyre challenge.’

Approximately 100 tyres are turned into waste every 15 minutes in Scotland, according to SEPA.