Last month Graeme Norton, 3R Director, attended the 2014 Rubber Recycling Symposium in Montreal Canada.
The theme was “Driving Innovation to Drive Markets” and it brought together tyre makers, recyclers and programme managers from North America as well as guests from around the world.
The conference celebrated achievements made in virtually clearing legacy stockpiles in North America and high rates of recycling current end-of-life tyres, as well as sharing lessons learned. Also, for the first time, tyre designers and recyclers were talking about the changing makeup of tyres, how this will impact on recycling options and collaboration across the value chain.
A consistent theme was the need for ongoing regulatory support; not a one size fits all approach, but one which took into account local circumstance while guiding all industry participants to achieve good economic and environmental outcomes.
The symposium was preceded by a meeting of CATRA (Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies), where all provincial programme managers meet and work collaboratively. It was a great chance to further cement our relationships with successful programme operators to link their learning with the proposed Tyrewise programme in New Zealand.
Tyre Fire St Amable Montreal 1990 (above image)
This tyre fire was the catalyst for change in North America - 3.5 million tyres caught fire, burning for 6 days at a cost of $24m. It created serious health issues and required the evacuation of 100,000 people. Every province in Canada has had a NIMBY moment ("not in my back yard") that led to fundamental change. This also happened in the US; Let's not wait for it to happen in New Zealand before we take action!
