Question NW737 to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
19 March 2021 - NW737
Bryant, Mr D W to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Whether, in light of the fact that the dumping of used tyres appears to have increased across the Republic over the past few years with a significant negative impact on the environment, particularly in parts of Durban as well as in stormwater drains in Cape Town and elsewhere, her department has undertaken any research into the correlation between the tyre levy which was instituted in 2017 and dumping of tyres that could otherwise be reused; if not, (a) why not and (b) what systems are currently in place to address the recycling of used tyres; if so, what are the relevant details;
Reply:
- No research has been undertaken into the correlation between the Tyre levy and the dumping of tyres.
- There has not been evidence to suggest that an in-depth study on correlation of the tyre levy and waste tyre dumping can assist with managing waste tyre environmental pollution. However, some of the funds collected from the tyre levy by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) are made available to the Waste Management Bureau through the Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries for the management of waste tyres.
- The Waste Management Bureau supplies waste tyres to processors to facilitate the reuse, recycling and energy recovery.
The Department has appointed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in terms of Section 29 of the National Environment Management: Waste Act, No. 59 of 2008 to prepare an Industry Waste Management Plan (IndWMP) for tyres. The IndWMP’s intention seeks to address the current challenges that are being experienced with regard to collection, storage and processing.
One of the key objectives of the IndWMP aims to support the establishment of a viable waste tyre processing sector in South Africa which will reduce the negative environmental impacts of waste tyres. The specified actions that would be undertaken as part of the implementation of the IndWMP is to ensure that the following objectives are achieved:
-
-
- providing surety of supply contracts to processors to support investment in the sector;
- supporting investment in pollution abatement technologies and equipment through
-
incentives on a cost sharing basis;
-
-
- creating pre-processing capacity at depots;
- free delivery of feedstock to processors including the cement and brick-making facilities;
- payment of a subsidy in the form of a processing fee to all waste tyre processors, including the cement and brick-making facilities and
- development of markets including but not limited to:
- Road-building;
- Applications in public open spaces; and
- Tyre-derived fuels.
-
At present, the tyre levy goes into the fiscus and the Waste Management Bureau gets an allocation through the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries from National Treasury. The Waste Management Bureau uses the budget that has been allocated to collect waste tyres and promote recycling.
Storage facilities in a number of areas are full. As a temporary measure while awaiting the finalisation of the Section 29 lndWMP, the department is focusing on the following for 2021/22:
- To expand storage on a short-term basis through engagement with cement manufacturers, provinces and municipalities.
- To increase the number of processing plants that want to use waste tyres for fuel or recycling purposes.
Regards
MS B D CREECY, MP
MINISTER OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 18/03/2021