Terms of Reference

The Committee will examine the current approach to the management of used¹ tyres in Northern Ireland.

Specifically, the Committee will:

• Estimate the number of used tyres arising annually in Northern Ireland
• Critically examine the current audit trail for managing tyres from purchase through to disposal and establish key responsibilities at critical stages
• Examine the legal framework for the collection, storage and disposal of used tyres and consider how this is monitored and enforced by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency
• Compare the NI approach to managing used tyres with other approaches e.g. Producer Responsibility, Tax system etc.
• Establish the extent of historical stockpiles of used tyres in NI and consider how these could be incorporated into the established process for managing used tyres
• Establish the potential for the development of an environmentally sound, economically viable, and self-sustaining end-use market in NI and make recommendations accordingly (this would include consideration of alternative uses for used tyres)
• Make recommendations to enhance the transparency and robustness of the processes that underpin the management of used tyres in NI
• To produce a report on the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry after the Department for the Environment has:
• provided up to date data and a detailed breakdown of the waste tyre sector
• produced an Tyres Action Plan

¹ The term ‘used’ tyres in the context of this Inquiry means retreadable tyres + second hand tyres + exportable tyres + end of life tyres.