Using old tyres to fuel the kiln at Golden Bay’s Whangarei cement works will consume 42% of the estimated three million waste tyres in Auckland each year.
That’s the word from environment minister David Parker when he opened the plant on Tuesday.
The Government has funded $16 million of the project’s $25 million cost through the Waste Minimisation Fund.
“This innovative project is a win-win-win for the environment,” says Parker. “It reduces a significant waste problem, re-uses a valuable resource, and reduces carbon emissions by about 13,000 tonnes a year.
“By using old tyres as fuel, Golden Bay Cement will reduce coal use by 15%, and iron sands use is reduced by 5000 tonnes a year, without harmful effects from air discharges.”
The Golden Bay Cement plant is one of several government initiatives that address problems caused by stockpiles of old tyres.
Others include a national environmental standard for storing old tyres outdoors, and a scheme that will require tyre importers and wholesalers to take responsibility for the full life cycle of the tyres they import and sell.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened with the recent tyre fire in Amberley (in Canterbury), ” Parker adds.
MTA says more work is needed
The Motor Trade Association (MTA) is pleased to see the Government’s product stewardship of tyres get off the ground, but want them to look further, to decide how to responsibly scrap the entire motor vehicle.
“The opening of the plant at Golden Bay Cement that uses old tyres to fuel the company’s kiln is great news,” says MTA advocacy and strategy manager Greig Epps.
“We see this as a positive step in the right direction. We need to be serious about addressing Climate Change emissions, but product stewardship for tyres is just one piece of the puzzle. We believe an integrated product stewardship programme that addresses how to deal with all elements of the car is necessary,” Epps says.
MTA see the disposal of a vehicle as not only an environmental issue, but a safety issue. Without practical ways of disposal, older vehicles will just get passed on to another generation.
“The Climate Change Commission report has told us vehicles that enter the country today will be on the road until they are almost 20 years old on average, and produce more emissions and cost more to run over their lifetime than in other countries.”
We also know New Zealanders are more likely to die in old cars. Older cars lack the crash mitigation safety features found in newer cars. We need to get the worst of these vehicles off New Zealand’s roads.
MTA is calling on the government to look at options for a scrappage scheme for older and high emission vehicles with a view to implementing a pilot within the term of the current Government.
“It has been more than ten years since the last scrappage pilot, since then the macro environment has changed significantly. The Government has declared a climate emergency and passed the Zero Carbon Act, with a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We need to give people incentives to dispose of their older vehicles if we are to encourage them to drive cleaner, safer cars,” Epps says.
