Using tyres in the road after they have been on the road
Tyrecycle is beginning 2021 by paving the way for the increased use of crumb rubber from recycled tyres in roads ahead of the implementation of the Australian Government’s Waste Export Ban.
While the passing of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 is a critical and game changing first move towards ensuring that Australia steps up to take responsibility for its waste, leading resource recovery company ResourceCo says it is also a reminder of how much more needs to be done.
The new law implements the agreement by all of Australia’s Governments to ban the export of waste plastic, paper, glass, and tyres. Starting in January 2021, and progressing through to mid-2024 when the full waste export ban comes into effect, Australia must recycle around 650,000 additional tonnes of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres each year.
Critically the law is accompanied by commitments from the federal government and select state governments to help tackle some of the barriers to success, including investment in onshore processing and infrastructure and the development of domestic markets for repurposed material.
There is increased momentum flowing from the introduction of the Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) which recognises waste as a valuable resource and is expected to generate $600 million of recycling investment. However Jim Fairweather, CEO of ResourceCo and its tyre recycling division Tyrecycle, sees there is already concern that some states are taking to long to respond through their own grants programs.
“There is a sense of urgency in ensuring we create markets for our repurposed products – without those markets everything up the line falls over,” he says.