WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2817/96 by Christoph KONRAD to the Commission. Disposal of old tyres
Date: 1996-10-25
Institutions: European Parliament, KONRAD
Subjects: environmental protection, pneumatic tyre, storage of waste, waste disposal, waste management, waste recycling













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91996E2817

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2817/96 by Christoph KONRAD to the Commission. Disposal of old tyres  


Official Journal C 083 , 14/03/1997 P. 0074 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2817/96 by Christoph Konrad (PPE) to the Commission (25 October 1996)Subject: Disposal of old tyres1. Is the Commission aware that 600 000 tonnes of waste tyres are discarded in Germany each year?2. Are old tyres in the Member States of the European Union disposed of, are they stored or is there some kind of recycling system for old tyres in Europe?3. What directives, regulations or decisions exist or are planned in the European Union with regard to the disposal of old tyres?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (11 December 1996)1. The Commission is aware that, according to estimates of the Arbeitsgruppe der Länderarbeitsgemeinschaft Abfall (LAGA-AG), the annual output of used tyres in Germany is 600 000 tonnes.2. The Member States are tackling the used tyre problem in different ways and a number of Member States have passed measures specifically addressing the used tyre problem. In Denmark, for example, used tyres are subject to a levy to support their recycling in a rubber processing plant. In the Netherlands, the landfill of used tyres has been banned and a covenant has been signed with tyre producers and suppliers to achieve quantified targets for retreading, recycling and incineration with energy recovery. An increasing number of used tyres are being used as substitute fuel in cement kilns in a number of Member States and in the United Kingdom a specialised facility has been set up to burn tyres and convert them to energy, collecting at the same time the residue steel. Whilst opportunities exist for the retreading and recycling of used tyres and recovery of energy, it is estimated around 50% of used tyres in the Community are still landfilled or simply stockpiled. At present, concrete action on used tyre management has generally been more apparent in the northern Member States, with Portugal, Spain, Greece and most of the regions of Italy still considering the available options. These differences in levels of activity across the Community obviously are of concern to the Commission.3. At Community level, there are presently no specific instruments dealing with the disposal of used tyres, although the provisions of Council Directive 75/442/EEC on waste ((OJ L 194, 25.7.1975. )) (as amended by Council Directive 91/156/EEC ((OJ L 78, 26.3.1991. ))) apply to used tyres as they do to other wastes.The used tyre problem was assessed by a priority waste stream group made up of representatives from various sectors such as industry, public authorities and consumers, which finalised its conclusions at the end of 1993. The group recommended that a ban on the landfill of used tyres should be introduced and that a Commission recommendation should be adopted setting out targets for prevention, retreading, recycling and energy recovery of used tyres.As regards planned action, a ban on the landfill of used tyres has been suggested for inclusion in the proposed directive on the landfill of waste. A specific directive on the collection and recovery of used tyres is also being considered by the Commission.