Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he is satisfied with the operation of the tyre recovery activity compliance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41346/09]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if it is his intention to approve a second tyre recovery activity compliance scheme to monitor the movement of tyres and promote legitimate re-use and recycling of waste tyres; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the approval of a second scheme would undermine TRACS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41347/09]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 386: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the undermining of the tyre recovery activity compliance scheme monitoring, re-use and recycling scheme will lead to rogue operators functioning with impunity in the Border area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41348/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 384 to 386, inclusive, together.

Information on tyre flows and the management of waste tyres has long been regarded as inadequate. To tackle this deficit and put in place a proper regulatory framework, I made the Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2007. These Regulations facilitate the comparison of quantities of waste tyres arising with the amounts placed on the market and tracking the movement of waste tyres from their discarding until they are either reused or processed for recycling. The regulations impose obligations on persons who supply tyres to the Irish market, whether as producers (e.g. manufacturers, importers including wholesalers, traders and retailers who source tyres outside the State), or suppliers (e.g. wholesalers, traders and retailers who source tyres exclusively within the State) and on the collectors of waste tyres. Economic operators have the option of either self complying or participating in an approved industry compliance scheme which takes on the administrative burden associated with self compliance.

Self complying economic operators are required to register with local authorities and submit information on tyre and waste tyre flows in each quarterly period to the relevant local authorities. Participants in an approved collective compliance scheme must also submit information on tyre and waste tyre flows in each quarterly period to the scheme concerned.

I approved Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme Ltd. (TRACS) to operate as an approved body under the Regulations. An application for a second approved body is under consideration in my Department. Self compliance does not undermine TRACS. Similarly, any decision to approve or reject an application for a second scheme will not inhibit TRACS in carrying out its functions. Indeed the existence of two approved bodies will introduce competition into the market with consequent efficiencies in delivery. This has been demonstrated by the existence of two separate approved bodies successfully delivering implementation of the EU Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Waste Batteries.

Approvals are generally for five years and require an interim review to be conducted. It is envisaged that the operations of TRACS will be reviewed in 2011. The results of this review will determine whether TRACS has been operating satisfactorily. It will also assist in determining whether a system that tracks products from the time they are placed on the market until they reach end of life is effective in keeping waste tyres out of the reach of unauthorised operators or whether it would be more effective to require producers to take direct responsibility for the environmentally sound management of waste tyres.