An Australian general waste and tire recycling authoritative body turned to Environment Minister Sussan Ley in November last year with a request to prohibit whole bale tire exports by July 2020; the ban potentially may affect not only end-of-life tires, but glass waste as well.

The National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) released a statement in which it argued that whole baled tires exports posed significant threat to human safety and the environment. It also noted that there was enough capacity to recycle waste tires into valuable products in Australia.

The meeting of NWRIC members with Sussan Ley already took place during which the proposed timetable for the exports ban execution was discussed. According to NWRIC, council members voiced their support for the proposed prohibition.

Apart from discussing scrap tire collection, exports & recycling issue, the officials addressed the problem of handling plastic waste, baled paper and cardboards. At the same time, the authorities tried to find ways to increase demand for recycled materials that may be used for packaging, in infrastructure projects and as independent merchandise.

The minister, in turn, stressed that the administration was committed to boosting the uptake of recycled materials via alteration of their procurement practices, NWRIC noted in its statement. The statement went on to quote Sussan Ley as saying that entrepreneurs, producers and retailers had to contribute to popularization of recycled materials use.

Press release by Waste Management Review.