Anyline allows the whole tire industry to implement data management for every tire sold and disposed of. Tire tagging has been discussed and tested in the UK, with the goal of retailers tagging tires upon disposal. If those tires turn up later at dumpsites, the source can be tracked down and the illegal operator chased down. Such projects have been funded by local governments and police forces.

The tagging, on the other hand, is already available. Every tire has its own unique ID code, which can be scanned to track its longevity. Anyline's mobile scanning technologies make this point. The system, which was developed in collaboration with Discount Tires in the United States, comprises of a scanning solution that can be used on a hand-held device, a phone, or a tablet to scan the codes, sizes, and ID on a tire sidewall and save the data to improve tire management. When you tie that data to VIN numbers and license plates, you can manage a vehicle's tires in a fleet environment.

Michael Wilkinson from Anyline said; “This is an option that has uses across the tire sector. We are essentially about data collection and management. However, with tires, they come from the factory with data embedded on the sidewalls. It was a challenge to master the capture of black on black data but we have managed to establish a scanning system that can read tire data and that allows our clients to tie tires to vehicles, and follow those tires through to end of life.”

With the data and retailers on board, ELT could be recorded at the time of disposal and fed through the recycling chain. Not only would the industry and the environment agency be able to track tires in great detail, but the vehicle/fleet owner would also be able to see where their tires traveled.

Consider a fleet operator with strong environmental credentials who is concerned about tire-derived fuel for cement kilns: they could track their tires and, if the final destination was a cement kiln, they could, in theory, request that their tires not be sent to that location. That would be the ultimate of consumer control over tire disposal.

It may eventually be possible to hold the vehicle owner accountable for the proper disposal of his or her tires. This could save local governments money by reducing the cost of collecting and disposing of abandoned tires. According to reports, one Yorkshire authority spends over £100,000 a year collecting and disposing of fly-tipped tires.

To find out more, please visit Anyline website.