§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many waste tyres were produced in the United Kingdom in the last year; and by what means they were disposed of. [109685]
§ Ms HewittThe Used Tyre Working Group, a joint Government/Industry initiative established to consider used tyre disposal issues, estimated that around 465,000 tonnes of tyres were disposed of in 1998. Of this total, it is estimated that value was recovered from approximately 330,000 tonnes. The table provides a breakdown:
Tonnes Exports of used casings 35,000 Re-used as part-worn tyres 29,000 Other reuse (silage clamps, dock fenders, etc.) 20,000 Retreaded tyres 86,000 Materials recovery 49,000 Energy recovery 84,500 Landfill engineering 25,500 It is estimated that a significant proportion of the outstanding balance of some 135,000 tonnes was disposed of in landfill, either in whole or shredded form or as automotive shredder residue.
The Used Tyre Working Group is currently in the process of collecting used tyre disposal statistics for 1999.
317WThe EU Landfill Directive will ban the disposal of almost all tyres to landfill during 2006, requiring the development of further tyre recovery facilities to handle those tyres that would otherwise have gone to landfill. The Government will continue to work closely with industry on this issue.