New rules for the outdoor storage of tyres

“After public consultation Cabinet recently approved the preparation of a National Environmental Standard (NES) to control the outdoor storage of tyres. The regulations to put the NES into law will now be drafted for Cabinet consideration later this year, and would come into effect in 2021.

“Tyres stored outside can create environmental and health risks, and can pollute land, waterways and the air, especially in the event of a fire. The current regulatory framework under the Resource Management Act differs across the country and does not properly address these risks,” said Eugenie Sage.

Improving the rules around tyre storage helps fulfil New Zealand First’s Coalition Agreement.

“The NES will ensure responsible tyre collection services and other businesses that need to store tyres outdoors are not undercut by operators stockpiling tyres in the cheapest way possible without regard for the environmental effects” said New Zealand First environment spokesperson, Jenny Marcroft.

The NES will set conditions where more than 20m³(approximately250 car tyres) are stored outside; including a requirement to set back tyre piles from sensitive areas such as rivers and streams.

Outdoor storage of 100m³ of tyres (approximately 1250 car tyres) or more will require a resource consent, with exemptions for silage tyres and new tyres.

The NES does not affect the re-use of tyres for legitimate purposes such as barriers on raceways.

The NES is one of a set of initiatives to address the problem of what to do with end-of-life tyres in New Zealand. Another is regulated product stewardship. Tyres are one of six priority products for regulated product stewardship schemes announced recently.

More information about the NES for the outdoor storage of tyres is available on the Ministry for the Environment’s website: https://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/proposed-national-environmental-standard-outdoor-storage-of-tyres

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest

The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and repla...

You wood not believe it: Greens secure win for urban trees

The Green Party’s advocacy has secured an amendment to the Natural and Built Environment Bill at a crucial stage of the Parliamentary process to en...

Forestry sector must compensate for slash damage

The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry...

Greens launch petition to protect conservation lands from mining by Mineralogy International Limited

The Green Party has today launched a petition calling for conservation land to be protected from mining by big overseas companies such as Mineralog...

National's drought of ideas won't help farmers facing climate change

Christopher Luxon and the National Party have once again presented another lazy, back-of-the-napkin policy to Aotearoa.

Freshwater crisis needs stronger government action

New Zealand’s rivers, lakes and freshwater are in crisis and there needs to be a more ambitious Government plan to clean them up and protect agains...

Latest Waste Announcements

Story

Greens welcome waste strategy release and work

The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return...

Container return scheme will benefit recycling and the oceans

The work Green Ministers did last term is continuing to make a difference, with the announcement today that the Government is planning to introduce...

Waste strategy needs to learn from nature

Anything less than a transformational national waste strategy and waste legislation will not be enough, the Green Party said today.

Greens welcome progress on hard to recycle and single use plastics, but more needs to be done

The Green Party welcomes progress on the phase-out of some hard to recycle plastics and some single-use plastics, but says more must be done.

More action on waste – Government funds recycling infrastructure, moves to standardise kerbside collections

$36.7m Government investment in high-tech recycling plants nationwide Plan to standardise and improve the nation’s kerbside collections As part o...

Government announces plan to tackle problem plastics and seven single-use plastic items

Following the success of the phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags, the Government now has plans to phase out more single-use and problem p...