An illegal tyre dump in Waikato Photo: Supplied
It's hoped product stewardship plans for tyres once they've reached the end of their life could be up and running within 12 months, making them the first off the block for regulation. The tyrewise stewardship project comes as importers and retailers face increasing pressure to find solutions for their waste streams. New Zealand currently has no regulated product stewardship schemes in place, but earlier this month the government proposed a new scheme, to force businesses to have a plan to safely dispose of or recycle their products at the end of their life. The products being considered are packaging, tyres, e-waste, farm plastics, refrigerants and agri-chemicals. To discuss this pressing issue Lynn Freeman is joined by the director of Bridgestone, John Staples, Adele Rose, chief executive of 3R Group, which develops product stewardship programmes for industry, and the New Zealand Product Stewardhsip Council coordinator Hannah Blumhart.
