Australia Post delivers on Tyre Stewardship Scheme

AUSTRALIA Post has joined the Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) Scheme, with the full lifecycle of every tyre on its 13,000-strong fleet of vehicles set to be traced from purchase to disposal.

The Scheme commenced in August last year to address a number of issues relating to tyres, such as illegal dumping, low rates of recycling, and the growing stockpile of tyres in Australia, with partners contributing to the expansion of tyre recycling as well as exploring new uses for the recycled materials.

With Australia Post now accredited under the TSA scheme, the government business enterprise has made a commitment to address some of the environmental challenges posed by its fleet.

Tyre Stewardship Australia chairman Gerry Morvell said Australia Post's involvement in the Scheme will be a key factor in tracking the lifecycle of tyres in a fleet environment.

“Having Australia Post agree to the key principles of TSA accreditation is yet another major development for TSA,” he said. “It shows that responsible fleets can be part of the effort to track and audit the flow and ultimate destination of end-of-life tyres.

“We congratulate Australia Post for making this important commitment and we look forward to similar important announcements in the near future.”

Australia Post property and procurement general manager Adam Treffry said the involvement in TSA highlights its commitment to environmentally conscious policies.

“We are excited to be involved in the TSA Scheme which is just part of our plan to deliver balanced environmental and financial outcomes for the enterprise,” he said. “It is not only the right thing to do, it also provides business and community benefits in the longer term.”

Approximately 50 million tyres require disposal in Australia each year, with about 66 per cent – or 33 million – disposed of in landfill, kept in stockpile or illegally dumped.

The TSA is managed by representatives from across the tyre supply chain, including manufacturers, recyclers and retailers and is supported by the Australian Motor Industry Federation as well as the Mineral Council of Australia.

Earlier this year Japanese tyre-making and retail giant Bridgestone joined the TSA Scheme, which followed confirmation of Tyrepower's involvement in August last year.

Other retailers and manufacturers signed up to the scheme include Continental, Goodyear Dunlop, Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo and Yokohama.

The Scheme is funded through a 25-cent levy that is applied to each passenger tyre sold by the participating retailers.