Wellington, New Zealand: New rules for outdoor tyre storage have passed into law with the gazetting of the New Environmental Standards (NES) under the Resource Management Act (RMA 1991). The regulations come into force on 20 August 2021.

“Outdoor storage of tyres can pose risks to our environment and health, especially in the event of a fire. The previous regulatory framework under the RMA did not sufficiently address these risks.

“By introducing these new environmental standards for tyres stored outside, the Government is reducing environmental and health risks.

“These regulations provide consistent rules across the country and give regional councils the power to implement the regulations, and make sure tyres are collected and stored in a way that does not harm our environment," said Sam Buckle, Deputy Secretary, Ministry for the Environment.

The NES is one of a set of initiatives to address the problem of what to do with end-of-life tyres in New Zealand. Another is regulated product stewardship. Tyres are one of six priority products for regulated product stewardship schemes announced in July 2020. A regulated tyre stewardship scheme will encourage more and better uses for end-of-life tyres. Consultation on regulations to support a product stewardship scheme for tyres is planned for later this year.

The Government also supports innovative ways to recycle tyres through the Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE’s) Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF).

“Environment Minister David Parker recently opened the Golden Bay Cement plant, which uses waste tyres as fuel. This business-led innovation reduces a significant waste problem, reuses a valuable resource, and reduces carbon emissions by about 13,000 tonnes a year.

“The Government encourages business and industry to come up with similar ideas to use and reuse our resources innovatively with our environment in mind.” Sam Buckle said.

The Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Storing Tyres Outdoors) Regulations 2021 can be accessed here.

More information about the NES for storing tyres outdoors is available on MfE’s website.

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