An important piece of the regulated tyre stewardship puzzle has fallen into place with the Ministry for the Environment finalising and gazetting the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Storing Tyres Outdoors) Regulation 2021.
These will take effect on 20 August 2021 and provide a regulatory tool for regional councils to manage the environmental and health risks of tyres stored or deposited outside.
During co-design of the proposed Tyrewise regulated product stewardship scheme, the working group identified a need for regulation which covered the environmental effects of storage of tyres, identifying that a national approach to setting these rules was preferred to one set on a region-by-region basis.
According to the Government, “Outdoor storage of tyres can pose risks to our environment and health, especially in the event of a fire. The previous regulatory framework under the RMA did not sufficiently address these risks.
“By introducing these new environmental standards for tyres stored outside, the Government is reducing environmental and health risks.
“These regulations provide consistent rules across the country and give regional councils the power to implement the regulations, and make sure tyres are collected and stored in a way that does not harm our environment,” said Sam Buckle, Deputy Secretary, Ministry for the Environment.
Tyrewise supports the objectives of this NES as it provides another tool to check that collectors of end-of-life tyres (which will be accredited to the proposed scheme) make arrangements for outdoor storage that are compliant with the Resource Management Act.
The regulations and related User’s Guide are available on the Ministry for the Environment’s website.
