In a bid to reduce waste and actually repurpose it for something productive, Government is funding the new Fijian Stewardship of Tyres with an allocation of $200,000 in the 2021-2022 financial year.
“It is a tragedy to see used tyres ending up in ditches by the road, strewn across the coast, in our communities and it becomes the breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” said Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum while delivering the 2021- 2022 National Budget last Friday.
“Rather than being discarded and left to become unsightly breeding grounds for mosquitoes, they can actually be used for productive purposes.
“Through this new program, we will be buying back used tyres for loose tyre imports and imposing a tyre recycling levy on all new and second-hand imported vehicles.
“We will also roll out a tyre-refund scheme for existing on-road tyres and for legacy tyres in dump yards, back yards and stockpiles.”
He said the Ministry of Economy and the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Waterways and Environment would work with tyre importers and retailers, local recycling companies and repair shops to get the program off the ground and keep used tyres out of the environment.
“Fiji imports an average of over 290,000 tyres per year and an estimated 565,000 tyres are currently being used on Fijian roads.
“Through this program, we expect to not only extend the value chain of tyres, but also create a vibrant recycling sector that can eventually spread throughout the Pacific.
“We also expect to use recycled shredded tyres in road construction initiatives such as rubber, like glass, all of these repels water.
“And FRA depots will be used to collect tyres and indeed they are currently in talks with the company that is going to mix bitumen with shredded tyre to lay on our roads.”
