Tyre bungle

A $10 MILLION sustainable tyre recycling development at Longford may have been sunk  by the Northern Midlands Council.

The council has long-standing concerns about building a million-tyre stockpile near Woolmers, the storage point for all of Tasmania’s used tyres, but could have ruined its chance to have it addressed.

A notice to cease collecting tyres was sent to site manager Tim Chugg after he failed to meet several requirements outlined in his storage permit.

Requirements included the provision of a $50,000 bond and the completion of stormwater works to prevent any contaminants from reaching river systems.

Tyre fires at Perth in 2010, and Longford in 2012, are still fresh in the memory  and a point of concern about the existing stockpile.

However, recycling start-up company Green Distillation Technologies said if Mr Chugg was not able to continue his tyre collection activities, its investment would be taken elsewhere.

Tasmania produces about 400,000 used tyres a year, about 7500 a week.

GDT director Trevor Bayley said its model was not only wholly reliant on ongoing tyre collection, but could clear the existing stockpile in about five years.

‘‘If the notice is forthcoming, there’s no certainty for tyre collection or storage at the Longford site,’’ Mr Bayley said.

‘‘We will cancel plans to move to Tasmania and go somewhere else – our whole economic model is based on the fact that there is a reliable source of end-of-life tyres.’’

Northern Midlands mayor David Downie said the council resolved to send the notice out of years of frustration surrounding failed tyre recycling proposals.

Cr Downie said the council was not aware of the proposal to build the $10million facility at Longford until after the motion to issue a cease-activity notice was endorsed.

He said he would be prepared to forward a motion to reverse the notice, but that the council would need convincing evidence from Mr Chugg and GDT that a development application would be submitted.

The council planned to meet  Environment Minister Matthew Groom in Hobart on Thursday, but parliamentary hearings meant Mr Groom was unable to attend.

The meeting was a follow-up from tyre storage discussions with the Premier’s Local Government Council last month.

Cr Downie said federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt had also requested a meeting with the council for early this month.

‘‘We’ve had two tyre stockpile fires in the past, the council doesn’t want another fire and we want the issue resolved,’’ he said.

The construction of the GDT facility would employ up to 30 people, and up to 20 people would be required to operate the facility.