Bridgestone ties up with New Zealand authorities to recycle waste tyres

[caption id="attachment_1418" align="alignnone" width="800"] Andrew Moffatt, MD of Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand[/caption]

Due to lack of any legislation regarding tyre disposal in New Zealand, tyre importers, whole-sellers and retailers are free to dispose more than 5 million used tyres, that are dismounted annually, however then want. According to a report by Tyrewise, around 70 per cent of the used tyre end up in a landfill. To manage this waste well, Bridgestone has signed an agreement to collect and recycle waste tyres from its stores throughout the country's North Island.

The agreement with Pacific Rubber will include all of the Bridgestone's 60 retail and commercial company-owned outlets across the North Island. The used tyres that are delivered to the Pacific Rubber's tyre-recycling facility will be converted to rubber crumbs and buffing products that will be used in building construction, landscaping, synthetic sports field, manufacturing mats, non-slip pavements, adhesives and resins.

Andrew Moffatt, MD of Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand said the company was “committed to leading the way” in the management of waste tyres in New Zealand. “Unlike other jurisdictions in which we operate, the industry in New Zealand is self-regulated in terms of the way it deals with waste tyres. There is no legislated system for waste tyre collection and recycling. That’s why we have taken a leadership position on this issue,” he added.

He further adds, “Bridgestone has a global commitment to continually work to lower our impact on the environment and waste tyres are a critical part of that approach. This agreement with Pacific Rubber is an important first step towards a truly integrated approach to collecting and recycling end-of-life tyres.”

Currently, there is no collection and recycling process for Bridgestone’s 14 outlets operating in New Zealand’s South Island. “Our intention is that we would like to replicate this arrangement in the South Island,” shares Moffatt. “We will continue to work with government and our business partners to find an environmentally-sound solution in that part of the country.”