According to Estonian source ERR News, Swedish waste disposal company Ragn-Sells AS intends to establish a tire-shredding plant, likely in Lääne-Viru County, to recycle end-of-life rubber into oils for Enefit Power plants. This move aims to alleviate a major tire dump near Tartu. Pyrolysis process to be used to transform end-of-life tires into a usable raw material.

Tire importers meanwhile have set up a new producer responsibility organization, which would collect end-of-life tires due to be shredded, as they say they are not satisfied with the Rehviringlus, the organization currently tasked with recycling tires.

Eesti Energia's subsidiary, Enefit Power, is shifting from oil shale to the chemicals sector, using more end-of-life tires and waste as raw materials. The Ragn-Sells tire shredding facility is expected to operate by early 2024 and will process a significant portion of Estonia's 15,000 tons of end-of-life tires annually. The discarded tires will be collected by Estonian Tyre Recycling, a non-profit founded by major tire importers, and used as raw materials at the new plant.

However, Reet Siilaberg, head of the Circular Economy Department at the Environmental Board, expressed concerns over pyrolysis, stating that burying tires underground is more environmentally friendly. Pyrolysis burns the tires at high temperatures, consuming energy and causing pollution. Retreading tires and reusing them on vehicles is considered the most environmentally friendly tire recycling method.

To learn more about the plant opening, proceed to the article by ERR News.