UK badge denotes good tyre recycling practice

United Kingdom – UK tyre retailers who meet ‘a strict set of guidelines’ and adhere to industry best practice will be able to display a new ‘Responsible Retailer’ badge, according to the nation’s Tyre Recovery Association. Drivers can be assured that any vehicle displaying the badge will have its tyres removed and reprocessed in a sustainable manner at end-of-life, it adds.

The new badge is already widely supported by ‘influential organisations’, says association president Mike Wilson, citing the government-backed self-regulatory body Motor Codes and the Environment Agency as examples. In order to earn ‘Responsible Retailer’ status, garages must be independently audited to ensure their scrap tyres are collected by authorised handlers who then dispose of them appropriately.

Wilson expects the badge to bring about significant change, commenting: ‘Historically, drivers didn’t really know what happened to their old tyres once they were removed from their vehicle. However, from now on, if they go to a ‘Responsible Retailer’, they can have the total confidence that their tyres are being disposed of legally, and perhaps more importantly, in an as environmentally friendly manner as possible.’

The UK is said to generate around 40 million scrap car and van tyres each year; their landfilling has been illegal since 2006.

For more information, visit: www.tyrerecovery.org.uk