Development of national regulations for the storage of end-of-life tyres, and the finding of alternative end uses 'cannot come soon enough”.

Waikato Regional Council investigation and incident response manager Patrick Lynch says a large tyre storage site near Otorohanga highlights the need for these initiatives.

'Council monitoring of a large storage site near Otorohanga has recently determined that no more tyres can be placed there until the site can properly manage their environmental risks.

'The operator there has received a formal notice to that effect.”

And due to a lack of alternative end uses, hundreds of thousands of old tyres are being stockpiled at the Otorohanga facility.

'Anyone wanting to store tyres in bulk needs to manage the risk they can pose to the environment generally and to manage the risk and consequence of fire.”

The Ministry for the Environment has announced it will be putting in place a national environmental standard later this year to manage the storage and stockpiling of end-of-life tyres.

All tyre storage facilities will need to be compliant with this standard.

'We know central Government is also working hard to develop solutions for how to cope with the four million end-of-life tyres that New Zealand produces annually.

'In the meantime, it is the responsibility of anyone holding large amounts of old tyres to ensure they are managed safely and disposed of through appropriate collection facilities or landfills.”

The regional council is also urging consumers to check with their tyre retailer as to where their used tyres are going.

'When the consumer is purchasing a new tyre for their car they are generally paying a levy to ensure that it is properly disposed of when it reaches the end of its life.

'By all means the consumer should feel free to ask the retailer where used tyres are going.”

The Waikato Mayoral Forum supports the efforts of the regional council and others to find solutions for dealing with end-of-life tyres at a national level.

During its meeting in Hamilton this week the forum passed a motion of support for a New Zealand-wide approach.

OWEN DOUGLAS TO ADDRESS TCC ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Former tyre recycler Owen Douglas, whose business was shut down in 2006 by Environment Waikato prosecutions, will speak on the subject of diverting tyres away from landfill during Tauranga City Council's Environment Committee meeting today.

His Tauranga company Tyre Disposal Ltd, was found guilty of breaching an abatement notice and was fined $21,000 for stockpiling tyres in a Te Awamutu quarry.

Owen had a resource consent to store 20,000 tyres at a disused quarry on Bailey Road, but Waikato Regional Council estimated there well over twice that amount of tyres on site and accused him of making a profit of $147,000 - $189,000 on the extras.

'Anyone wanting to store tyres in bulk needs to manage the risk they can pose to the environment generally and to manage the risk and consequence of fire,” says Waikato Regional Council investigation and incident response manager Patrick Lynch.