Australian Customs Officials Crack Down on Illegal Tire Exports
Australia is determined to stop the illegal exportation of tire wastes to countries with weak recycling standards following the interception of a large consignment that was due to depart Sydney for Malaysia.
Authorities are reporting the seizure of 10 shipping containers loaded with 280 tonnes of tire waste, the equivalent of 175 passenger cars, that was due to be exported to Malaysia in contravention of tough recycling regulations designed to protect the environment and health of people in nations with weak standards.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) detected the consignment during an ongoing border monitoring. A team of compliance and enforcement officers from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) inspected the contents of the 10 containers and found a mixture of non-compliant baled waste tires and bags of shredded waste tire pieces.
The cargo was deemed to be in contravention of the Recycling and Waste Reduction (RAWR) Act 2020 and the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Export—Waste Tires) Rules 2021, something that saw the exporter slapped with over US$20,000 in fines for container detention, inspection and transport costs. The exporter may be responsible for additional costs to process the tires to the legal standard.
Australia faces a tire waste challenge, with many end-of-life tires being stockpiled, illegally dumped, or sent overseas for poor recovery processes. A report by Tyre Stewardship Australia released in June this year shows the country generated 537,000 tonnes of end-of-life tires during the 2023-24 financial year, with only 26 percent being reused or recycled locally. Around 265,000 tonnes of the waste was exported overseas, with the U.S., Malaysia, Singapore, Spain and Thailand being the biggest markets.
To deal with the problem of illegal exports, the country enacted stringent rules that ensure the country can only export waste tires that are appropriately processed or will be retread or reused appropriately overseas. The intent of the regulations is to prevent the export of unprocessed and densely packed waste tires, which are likely to have a negative impact on human health and the environment in the receiving country. The rules are also aimed at maximizing the ability of the country’s waste and recycling sector to collect, recover and recycle waste tires.
The regulations stipulate that anyone found to be illegally exporting tires can face up to five years' imprisonment and fines of up to US$130,000 for an individual or US$650,000 for a company. Since the implementation of the rules, authorities have intercepted 61 shipping containers of non-compliant waste tires.
“Exporters who send their illegal waste overseas seek to take advantage of markets that don’t apply the same recycling standards as Australia and are driven by higher profits at the expense of the environment,” said a DCCEEW spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that tire exporters need to source end of life tires that are processed correctly and ensure they comply with license conditions and Australia’s waste export laws.