§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tyres were(a) purchased, (b) reused and (c) disposed of by (i) landfill, (ii) incineration, (iii) illegal fly-tipping and (iv) other means in each year since 2001. [184854]
§ Mr. TimmsDTI compiles figures on behalf of the Used Tyre Working Group on used tyre recovery and disposal.
Statistics on replacement tyre sales are provided as follows by the British Rubber Manufacturers' Association and the Imported "Tyre Manufacturers' Association. The figures for 2003 are expected to be received shortly. While these sources represent the majority of activity in this sector, there are other, diverse, routes to market and for this reason the figures should be viewed as indicative, rather than absolute. A similar caution applies to the information relating to used tyre disposal and recovery.
Replacement tyre sales 2001 2002 Units 24,870,298 25,485,101 Tonnes 234,250 240,000 A figure for total used tyres arisings also needs to take account of various reuse tyres not included in the figures above, including retreads and part-worns, tyres on end of life vehicles and imports of used tyres.
Used tyre arisings 2001 2002 Units 52,832,000 47,169,500 Tonnes 481,500 447,000
184W
Tonnes 2001 2002 Reused 117,650 105,100 Energy recovery1 40,000 48,000 Other recovery 132,850 147,400 Total 290,500 300,500 1 Figures relate solely to the use of tyros as fuel in cement kilns. Not all industry returns have yet been received to enable presentation of the 2003 figures, but it is estimated that the use of tyres in cement kilns rose to almost 80,000 tonnes and other recovery approached 190,000 tonnes.
Tyres disposed of to landfill arise from two principal channels. retail outlets and end of life vehicles (ELVs). In the former case, figures show a sharp drop from over 87,000 tonnes in 2001 to around 42,000 tonnes in 2002. The 2003 figures are expected to show a further significant diversion of tyres away from landfill disposal. Tyres are also disposed of to landfill as part of automotive shredder residue. The figures for 2001 and 2002 are similar at around 57,000 tonnes, although it should be noted that this total derives from an assumption that all ELV tyres not reused as part-worns or retreads are disposed of in this way.
For both 2001 and 2002 this leaves around a 10 per cent. gap between estimated tyre arisings and stated recovery and disposal. The difference may be due to a number of factors including over-reporting of arisings and under-reporting of recovery and disposal, together with any tyres that are stored or are otherwise not consigned for immediate treatment.
Tyre fly-tipping takes a number of forms, including that dealt with by landowners and local authorities as well as those tyres that are dumped on the forecourts of tyre retail premises. and there are, as yet, no overall figures quantifying this illegal activity. However, The Environment Agency (EA) estimates that £1.65 million is spent annually by local authorities on tyre related fly-tipping. In addition, a joint Defra/EA report estimated that 8,700 tonnes of tyres were fly-tipped on agricultural land in 2001, equating to a cost of £1.3 million. There are a range of other affected landowners including British Waterways, Railtrack and the National Trust. In addition, there is fly-tipping on tyre retail premises where the retailer will subsequently meet the costs of disposal. A third of respondees to a 2003 survey by the representative body for tyre retailers reported that they had been subject to tyre fly-tipping. Since April 2004, Flycapture, a web-based fly-tipping database for England and Wales managed by the EA on behalf of Defra, has been operational. The database, populated with information provided by both the EA and local authorities, provides a systematic basis for the collection of information relating to all fly-tipped wastes, including tyres.