Tyrewise Working Group, Auto Stewardship NZ and the New Zealand government have established a nationwide regulated tyre product stewardship scheme, with mandatory industry participation.
Lina Goodman, Tyre Stewardship Australia Chief Executive Officer, hailed the scheme, due to start in 2023, as a bold step to stamp out rogue operators and create a level playing field for proactive, industry-led waste recovery.
“It will deliver the type of meaningful impact that product stewardship schemes were designed to do,” Goodman said. “Our voluntary schemes in Australia can only do so much. Without regulated, mandatory participation, free riders enjoy the benefits of a scheme without contributing and rogue operators disrupt waste recovery efforts and take money from retailers and consumers for ‘the privilege’.
“I urge the Australian government to look closely at this new model in New Zealand, and work with us to take our scheme and the tyre recovery circular economy to the next level in Australia.
“Tyrewise and TSA share stakeholders and the differences for industry will come into sharp focus when the NZ scheme starts in 2023. This is great news for the Australia and New Zealand region and tyre recovery circular economies around the world.”
TSA was established in 2014 to implement the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme (TPSS), to reduce the environmental, health and safety impacts of the 56 million Equivalent Passenger Units (EPUs) which reach their end of life in Australia each year.
For more information: www.tyrestewardship.org.au
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