The council put forward a motion at last month's LGAT general meeting, proposing LGAT continue to lobby the state government to develop a solution to the problem, which is currently manifesting in a stockpile of more than 1 million waste tyres at a property in Longford.

The stockpile’s owner will no longer be permitted to collect tyres as of December 20, however a definitive alternative disposal method is yet to be found.

Three waste tyre recycling facilities have been proposed for the state in recent times - most recently a facility in Bridgewater - however all three are still in the process of completing the necessary assessments to begin operation. 

In presenting the motion, which was carried, council stated its belief that a change to state government legislation was Tasmania’s best chance of discovering a solution.

“Northern Midlands Council believes the only practical solution is state government intervention through legislation to require accurate accountability for every tyre brought into Tasmania and to fund its ultimate disposal,” the motion read.

A government spokesman said the government had been pursuing solutions to the problem for several years, and would continue to support an initiative it launched in 2014 aimed at increasing domestic tyre recycling.

“The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) has worked for several years at the national level with Australian, state and territory governments and the tyre industry, to develop a voluntary product stewardship scheme for waste tyres,” the spokesman said.

“Leading tyre manufacturers have financially backed the establishment and initial operation of the scheme.”

However, LGAT delegates noted that while the scheme remained voluntary, retailers would likely continue to dispose of tyres incorrectly. 

In Tasmania, only about 30 per cent of used tyres are recycled.