Product Stewardship Institute looks at US tire situation

The Boston-based Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) will host a free webinar on the state of extended producer responsibility (EPR) tire recycling efforts in the United States.

The webinar, “Tackling Tire Waste: EPR Solutions and Success Stories,” is scheduled for March 20 from 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern.

The PSI says, by its definition, 40 percent of end-of-life tires are recycled in the U.S., with the organization noting it does not count tires diverted for tire-derived fuel energy recovery applications as being recycled.

The group estimates some 250 million tires are discarded each year in the U.S., with some percentages still being illegally dumped or landfilled, leading to negative public health and environmental impacts.

One topic of discussion will be the situation in Connecticut, which last year became the first state to enact an EPR law for tires.

The organization says that law aims to combat illegal dumping, boost tire retreading and recycling, and deliver cost savings to municipalities and taxpayers.

Tom Metzner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will be among the speakers at the webinar.

Also on speaking are: Suna Bayrakal of PSI; Steve Meldrum of eTracks Tire Management Systems, Oakville, Ontario; and Barry Takallou of multilocation recycled-content rubber producer Crumb Rubber Manufacturers (CRM). The webinar will be moderated by Scott Cassel, CEO of PSI.

PSI says EPR has long been a viable policy solution for managing scrap tires in Europe and Canada. "With tire EPR programs in place for nearly two decades in Europe, some nations (such as Sweden and Ireland) have achieved a 100 percent reuse, retread and recycling rate," the group says.

In Canada, such programs have been operating since 2007, with those in Manitoba and Ontario achieving 100 percent scrap tire collection and recycling rates and creating hundreds of recycling jobs, according to PSI.

At the webinar, Bayrakal, will provide an analysis of tire EPR programs while Metzner will share how the state developed, enacted and is now implementing its EPR law. Takallou will provide insights into the business benefits of tire EPR laws and Meldrum will offer his perspective on the success factors behind Canadian tire EPR programs. 

More information on how to register for the webinar can be found here.