Dublin – The Republic of Ireland has established a new waste tire compliance scheme, following a decision by the Irish government to replace the existing TRACS scheme.
Launched through waste tire compliance operator Repak ELT, the scheme attempts to deal with end-of-life tires in an environmentally sound manner, said a Repak news release on 1 Nov.
“Repak ELT is working with the tire industry and welcomes the fact that members of the tire industry have already registered for the scheme,” said CEO Seamus Clancy.
Clancy stressed that enforcement was the key pillar of the new ELT scheme and for that, he said, Repak will be working closely therefore with relevant Irish government departments.
Repak ELT is implementing the scheme in two phases: giving the tire industry a transition period to prepare for a full producer responsibility initiative (PRI) scheme.
The first phase, which began on 1 Nov, will involve members of the tire industry registering for the scheme – registration is free for 2015.
The second phase is the roll-out of a full PRI scheme in the second half of 2016.
The scheme involves motorists paying an arbitrary fee for tire disposal of between €2 and €3 at the time of tire purchase.
When it is up and running, the visible Environmental Management Charge (vEMC) levied under the new PRI scheme will be €2.80.
The levy will cover the monitoring and management of the tire through its life cycle across a range of activities, including collection, recovery and recycling in an environmentally sound manner.
The fee is expected to reduce over time as compliance with the scheme increases.
Any tire operator who has been an active member of a previous compliance scheme, where they registered and reported, will have no adjustment to make, said Repak.
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