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More than $130,000 is being given to a product recycling organisation to research the options for recycling used tyres.
Environment Minister Nick Smith announced this afternoon that the Product Stewardship Foundation will receive $133,000 “to explore recycling options for used tyres”.
The Product Stewardship Foundation is an organisation which researches ways to reduce the environmental impact of manufactured products.
Dr Smith says the funding will help “identify the best way for New Zealand to recycle and re-use our used tyres”.
“We have a significant environmental problem in New Zealand with the disposal of about 4 million tyres annually at the end of their useful life.
“Eighty-five percent of those tyres end up in landfills where they leach contaminates that pose a long term risk to the environment. We need to find economic ways in which these used tyres can be put to better use,” he says.
He says the tyres could be used for road surfacing products, converting them into floor tiles, useable fuels and recycling the steel.
“This project is about working with industry to see whether a cost-effective solution can be found,” the minister says,
A report will be given to the Government in April 2013 outlining the options available.
3 News
source: newshub archive
