J Mater Cycles Waste Manag DOI 10.1007/s10163-015-0427-2

NOTE

End of life tyre management: Turkey case Bag˘dagu¨l Karaag˘ac¸1 • Merve Ercan Kalkan1 • Veli Deniz1

Received: 3 June 2013 / Accepted: 16 August 2015  Springer Japan 2015

Abstract The end of life tyre management is an important issue, due to the potential health and environmental effects of them. Countries adopt different approaches in the management of end of life tyres. In this study, end of life tyre management methods for different countries are mentioned and end of life tyre management system in Turkey is analysed in detail. Legislations about end of life tyres are referred; obligations are defined for each stakeholder. Keywords End of life tyre (ELT)
Local policy
Regulation
Turkey
Waste management

Introduction In recent years, polymeric material consumption and production rate of rubber industry have been increasing in parallel to rapid industrialization and civilization. Since the polymeric materials do not decompose easily, disposal of waste polymers is a major environmental problem for both municipalities and governments. A variety of global and national policies developed worldwide is related to disposal of solid wastes such as plastics and waste rubber & Bag˘dagu¨l Karaag˘ac¸ [email protected]; [email protected] Merve Ercan Kalkan [email protected] Veli Deniz [email protected] 1

Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Kocaeli University, Umuttepe Campus, 41380 Kocaeli, Turkey

tyres. Used tyres that are almost 14 9 106 tonnes year-1, which is approximately 2 % of total solid waste production in the world. 4.5 million tonnes are produced in USA and approximately 3.2 million tonnes in Europe. In Turkey, it has been estimated as 250,000 tonnes year-1 [1, 2]. In 2012, approximately 3.4 million tonnes of used tyres were managed in an environment-friendly and economically way in Europe (EU27, Norway, Switzerland & Turkey) corresponding to a used tyre treatment of 95 % [3]. Since most of these wastes contain petroleum-based products, reuse and/or recycling of those wastes is also very important to reserve nonrenewable resources. However, raw materials in waste tyres are not directly reusable, because of the network structure of vulcanized rubber. For these reasons, they need devulcanization or a suitable degradation process for regeneration or recovery. There are some significant attempts for material recycling and energy recovery from tyre-based wastes. These wastes are used in some applications such as packing materials, paving stones, roofings and in children’s park zones after some recycling attempts. Also, whole tyre wastes are used in cement plants as secondary fuel for energy recovery [4]. However, a considerable part of used tyres and the other tyre-based wastes are being disposed using environmentally unfriendly techniques, all around the world. Landfilling of used tyres is still in use in many countries. In EU, according to EC directive 1999/31/EC, landfilling of whole tyres and shredded tyres was banned as of July 16th, 2003 and July 16th, 2006, respectively. In Turkey, for the aim of adaptation to EU regulations, legislative operations have just been put into practice as of the January 1st 2007. According to this regulation, waste tyres are described as special wastes and import activities were banned. The people and/or facilities that cause waste tyre-based environmental pollution have to pay the expenses to

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compensate relating harms. In this study, management of end of life tyres (ELTs), legal regulations and practices in Turkey have been emphasized. Countries adopt different approaches in the management of ELTs. The current state for ELT management in EU countries is defined in the ETRMA Reports. According to reports, within the EU, there are three different systems for managing ELTs, today: • • •

Producer responsibility (PR) Tax system Free market system

Some countries are in the transitional period as they are moving from one system to another one [1]. Each EU country has developed its own ELT management model as summarized in Fig. 1. As a part of PR, the law defines the legal framework and assigns the responsibility to the producers (tyre manufacturers and importers) to organize the management of ELTs. This system is based on foundation of a non-profit company financed by tyre producers and consumers to manage collection and recovery of ELTs. According to ETRMA Report 2014, there are 19 countries with an ELT proactive producer responsibility regime and 14 operating collective ELT management companies set up at the initiative of tyre manufacturers, which means that used tyres under PR law account for about 65 % of EU used tyres arisings [3].

Fig. 1 Specific implementations and ELT management companies [3]

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Under the tax system, each country is responsible for the recovery and recycling of the ELTs. It is financed by a tax that acquired on tyre production. This is an interim solution whereby the producers pay a tax to the state, which are responsible overall for the organization and remunerates the operators in the recovery chain. Countries that subjected to this system are Slovak Republic and Denmark. Under Free Market System, the legislation establishes the objectives to be met, but does not assign those responsible. Therefore, all the operators in the recovery chain contract under free market conditions. Countries that subjected to this system are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland. Although operating under a free market system, United Kingdom features a hybrid system that collectors and treatment operators have to report to national authorities [5]. There are many studies mentioning ELT management strategies for different countries. Ferrao et al. [5], referred to Portuguese approach, which is based on extended producer responsibility (EPR). The results obtained in the first years of experience of the society responsible for the management system (Valorpneu) were discussed. Valorpneu started its operation in 2003. Prior to the implementation of tyre management system, 29 % of the ELTs were retreaded, 29 % recycled, 10 % incinerated, and remaining amount was estimated to be landfilled. By January 2007, 95 % of ELTs were collected. Compared with the situation

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prior to the management society, one can notice that there was an increase in ELTs recycled. In terms of total recycling rate, compared with the total ELT production, there was an increase from 29 to 49 %, and the incineration rate doubled from 10 to 20 %. Niza et al. [6] have also mentioned EPR policy in Portugal. It is emphasized that the implementation of EPR concept in Portugal was successful. Uruburu et al. [7] has mentioned an integrated ELT management system in Spain, which consist of two main parts: SIGNUS and TNU. The first one is responsible for approximately 90 % of the ELTs generated throughout Spain, while the second one manages the remaining. SIGNUS collected 195,480 tonnes ELTs in 2010, with an increase of 5.1 % over 2009. By the end of 2010, 112,744 demands for collecting used tyres had been received. Samolada and Zabaniotou [8] reported waste tyre management system in Greece that has adopted the PR approach. Ecoelastica which has a non-profit nature was established in 2004 with the aim of ‘‘The Alternative Management of Used Tyres in an environmentally safe and economical way’’. Ecoelastica declared that more than 300,000 tonnes of ELTs have been handled since 2004. Amount of used tyres in Greece reached 50,000 tonnes in 2008 and had a decrease as 20 % in 2010 due to economical crisis. Different fees are requested according to tyre categories A, B and C to meet the expenses of waste management. Sienkiewicz et al. [9] reviewed the used tyre management in European Union. It was indicated that China, European countries, the USA, Japan, and India produced the largest amounts of tyre wastes around the world that meant the 88 % of the world total. In Europe, PR is the most popular model among the ELT management models. Material recycling and combustion of used tyres were announced as the most advanced method in EU. Progress in recovery routes of waste tyres between 1994 and 2010 were evaluated. Sum of the percentage of reuse, retreading, recycling, and energy recovery has reached the level of 96 %, whereas landfilling of used tyres decreased from 62 % to 4 %. PR has also been adopted in non-OECD countries. Milanez and Bu¨hrs [10] reported the present case of tyre wastes which is based on PR-inspired policy in Brazil. Many arrangements were made to import waste to Brazil, but it did not satisfy the importers of remoulded and retreaded tyres and they continued their work with court decisions. During the first few years, tyre producers and importers collected 137,000 tonnes (2003) and 191,000 tonnes (2004), but they did not meet the quota in 2005. It was reported that there had been no solution reached between 2004 and July 2008. Chang [11] presented an assessment on the economic and policy instrument analysis in support of the scrap tyre

recycling program in Taiwan. Stakeholders of waste tyre management are defined as Protection Administration, Advisory Committee, Recycling Foundation, Audit Committee, Manufacturer and Importer, Auditing Body, Recyclers, and Collectors. The organization structure involved is a hybrid of a non-profit organization and a quasi-governmental body supervised directly by the EPA in Taiwan. Li et al. [12] introduced five main methods to treat ELTs in China: retreading, ambient grinding, dynamic devulcanization, pyrolysis, and illegal tyre oil extraction. It was estimated that about 1.74 million waste tyres were used illegally for oil extraction in 2005. Chinese ELT utilization in 2008 is as 7.1 % of pyrolysis, 14.3 % of illegal tyre oil extraction, 7.1 % of retreading, 5.7 % of crumb rubber production, 54.3 % of devulcanization, and 11.4 % of nonutilization. Islam et al. [13] reported the ELT management approach in Bangladesh. It was estimated that 30,750 tonnes bicycle/ rickshaw tyres, 5160 tonnes motorcycle tyres, and 28,900 tonnes bus and truck tyres were discharged in 2009. Wild landfilling was introduced the most common way, although there were some attempts on grinding and incineration. The aim of this study is emphasizing management of ELTs, regulations, and practices in Turkey.

The Turkey case In this section, different aspects of ELT management in Turkey, which are based on producer responsibility, were discussed. The legislative requirements and implementation steps for different units are introduced. Legislations in Turkey for ELTs ELT management in Turkey is subject to two main legal regulations: Environmental Law (EL) and Regulation on Control of the End of Life Tyres (RCELT). The latter is constituted in parallel with ‘‘Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal’’. Waste management approach within the scope of these legislations can be summarized as in Fig. 2 [14, 15]. RCELT, entered into force on 1st January of 2007. It is aimed to prevent the deposit of ELTs to receiving environment and setting up a transport system for recycling or disposal of ELTs. Establishing a management plan, providing a standard system and defining the restrictions about import, export and transit are other purposes of this regulation. General principles of this regulation are as follows: •

It is essential to recover the ELTs

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J Mater Cycles Waste Manag Fig. 2 ELT management in Turkey with the aspect of legislations [20]

• •

•

Their import, landfilling, and burning in the open areas are prohibited Drivers (ELT producers) should deliver the worn tyres to the sale points or authorized transporters when they replace tyres Several liability principles are applied

ELT producer can be defined as ‘‘who use tyres on his/ her vehicle and led to the creation of ELT, in case of the producer of ELT is unknown the real or legal person who are in charge of the property.’’ Elements of ELT management Traffic controls and inspection stations ELTs can be detected by the ‘‘traffic controllers or by the inspection stations’’. Tread depth is measured at routine and sudden controls by the traffic surveillance due to the relevant enforcements. At inspection stations, depth of tyre tread is measured. In case, tyres are considered as ELTs, and then ELT producers are advised to change those. Municipalities Municipalities play an important role in ELT management. The tasks of municipalities include the prevention of the ELT storage in open areas, and deny ELTs to solid waste storage facilities. Municipalities also report to the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning,

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if any of the following cases occurs: illegal ELTs transportation, unauthorized temporary storage, unlicensed recovery, and disposal. Retreaders Retreaders must have an appropriate certificate to retread pneumatic tyres. They are responsible for disposing of retreading wastes considering their origin. Retreaders must report the amount of retreaded or unretreadable tyre to the Ministry each year. Authorized transporters Authorized transporters are obligated to make a contract with tyre manufacturers to move ELTs under a quota, with vehicles satisfying technical specifications, and use the form of national waste transportation in accordance with the Article of this Regulation. Technical specifications of vehicles According to the current regulation, transportation of ELTs is provided by only vehicles due to simplicity in operation and also control. However, there are some technical requirements for vehicles. Vehicle must be covered with normal body and net or canvas. There must be fire extinguishers in accordance with Highway Traffic Law [16]. National waste transportation form that is provided from Provincial Directorates of the Ministry must be kept during the transportation.

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responsible for collecting ELTs, recover or disposal of the collected amount and document these operations to the Ministry. Quota application and obligations

Fig. 3 Amounts of recovered ELTs [18]

Temporary storage areas Temporary storage areas cannot be installed in places such as having high flood risk zone, landslides, earthquake, avalanches and erosion region, fire-risk areas, agricultural and forestlands, residential areas. In addition, tyre piles cannot be found under high-voltage power lines. Tyre manufacturers Tyre manufacturers have to inform consumers about the usage of tyres and they are

Under the responsibility of the manufacturer, the Ministry requires quota application with the aim of managing ELT environmentally. Each year, quota is determined by taking into account the tonnage of tyres placed on the domestic market in previous year. Quota is determined as the first year entry into force of regulation is 30 %, second 35 %, third 40 %, fourth 45 %, and fifth 50 %. In following years, the Ministry determines quota according to the average rate of tyre production. Quota application does not include original equipments, export tyres, and production rejects. Recovery and authorization Mechanical grinding plants, steel and textile separating plants, pyrolysis plants, regenerated rubber production plants, and other similar facilities should apply to the

Fig. 4 ELT management in Turkey

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Ministry for recycling license in accordance with the provisions of Regulation. Whole ELTs, cut, sliced or compressed forms of ELTs can be used for different purposes such as crush barrier or sound absorption wall on highways without a recovery license. Other recycling and recovery activities have to be licensed by the Ministry, in Turkey. In case of approved application, Ministry gives a recycling license for only five-year terms. Energy recovery applications are also subjected to General Rules Regarding the Use of Wastes as Supplementary Fuels Rescript [17]. In Turkey, the prominent tyre companies that are Brisa, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli found the Tyre Industrialists Association (LASDER) to manage the issue of ELT, in accordance with the RCELT, on 11th of April 2007. Today, the number of members of the association has increased with the participation of distributor, sales and marketing and local production firms. LASDER, which is a non-profit association, has the following purposes: • • • •

Table 1 Target and real amounts of collected ELTs between 2009 and 2015, in Turkey Year

Amount of ELT collection target (tonnes)

Amount of collected ELTs (tonnes)

2009

52.000

2010

84.554

35.500 72.401

2011 2012

122.991 141.830

91.657 130.000

2013

182.461

118.600

2014

240.000

120.425

2015

143.500

(not available yet)

Collecting the amount of tyres that specified in the regulations for members Transportation Temporary storage (if needed) Delivery to the recycling companies, cement plants, and power plants

A commercial enterprise was established by LASDER to carry out commercial activities in June 2008. In February 2009, LASDER started its trial activities with a single contractor around Istanbul to test the management system. After this experiment, 35,500 tonnes of ELTs have been collected and added to the economy. In February 2010, ‘‘LASDER waste management plan’’ was accepted by the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning and LASDER became an ‘‘authorised body’’ since then. In 2011, trial activities became widespread and 91,657 tonnes of ELTs have been collected and added to the economy whereas that was 72,401 tonnes in 2010. An encouraging amount has been obtained in 2012 as 130,000, in 2013 as 118,600 and in 2014 as 120,425 tonnes of ELTs. The target for 2015 is announced approximately as 143,500 tonnes. The amount and distribution of ELT in recent years are given in Fig. 3 [18]. The role of LASDER in the ELTs, money, and information flows is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Table 1 [19], there is a gap between the ELT collection target and collected amount. According to LASDER, this gap is a result of problems in recycling industry, especially companies which do not accept ELTs. It is announced that the budget of LASDER is made on the basis of target values.

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Fig. 5 Companies subjected to quota [20]

Fig. 6 Amounts of ELTs for different evaluation methods [20]

Current ELT management applications in Turkey In Turkey, approximately 250,000 tonnes of tyres enter the market annually. As a part of the quota obligation, the Ministry called totally 800 companies to attend quota. In 2007, 69 companies informed the Ministry that they were subjected to a quota. 12 recovery facilities, which have

J Mater Cycles Waste Manag Fig. 7 General view of Turkey infrastructure for ELTs [20]. a Licensed recycling facilities, b licensed cement plants, c temporary storage facilities

101,000 tonnes year-1 total capacity, have licensed. As of December 2010, approximately 33,400 tonnes of ELTs recovered at those facilities. A number of companies, which are subjected to quota by years, are depicted in Fig. 5 [20]. According to ‘‘The General Rules Regarding to the Use of Wastes as Supplementary Fuels’’, 21 cement plants, which have 110,000 tonnes year-1 total capacities, were licensed. In these plants, approximately 39,000 tonnes of ELTs are incinerated for energy recovery as of December 2010. In Fig. 6, annual amounts of ELTs for energy recovery in cement plants can be seen [20]. To operate a temporary storage facility, it is required to get permission from Environment and Urban Planning Directorate. The Directorate authorized 23 temporary storage areas. Allocations of facilities for licensed recycling, energy recovery, and temporary storage are given in Fig. 7 [20]. As shown in Fig. 7, cement plants are located more widespread than recycling plants and temporary storage facilities. Recycling facilities are mostly in the west of Turkey. Cement plants are located relatively homogenous. Temporary storage facilities are allocated mainly on the west. It is obvious that there is still a necessity for licensed temporary storage areas in the north, south, and midland of Turkey.

Conclusion Increasing vehicle population causes environmental problems related to waste tyres. From a complete environmental point of view, producer responsibility system seems to be eco-friendly. However, to increase the quantity of used tyre collection and then to dispose the collected tyres according to the hierarchical principles of disposal are of more importance. That is why, each country has to choose an appropriate ELT management method depending on their geographical and other conditions to achieve their targets. Therefore, different countries have their own strategies in the management of ELTs. In Turkey, for the aim of adaptation to EU regulations, ELT legislations have started to be implemented as of the 1st January of 2007. According to regulations, used tyres are described as ‘‘special waste’’ and import activities were banned. In Turkey, ELT management system is based on

producer responsibility. ‘‘Pay as you pollute principle’’ is adopted. A non-profit association called LASDER provides required connection between relevant bodies and the government. All ELT recycling, recovery, and storage activities are under legislative controls. ELT evaluating activities are mostly concentrated on energy recovery in cement kilns. Beside this, it is pleasing to see that, the rate of raw material recycling activities tend to increase year by year. According to the authors, government promotion and tax reduction implementations could be an option to encourage retreading and recycling. It is expected to decrease the gap between the target and collected values by more transparent and traceable systems and also tight controls.

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16. Highway Traffic Law (Official Gazette dated 18/10/1983, No: 18195) 17. General Rules Regarding the Use of Wastes as Supplementary Fuels Rescript (Official Gazette dated 22/6/2005, No: 25853) 18. Erdem M (Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning) (2011) Industrial Waste Management. In: Proceedings of the national symposium on waste management, Antalya, 16–21 April 19. Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, Written Response to Information Request, 5 March 2015 20. Sec¸gin H (Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning) (2011) Directorate of medical and special wastes. In: Proceedings of the national symposium on waste management, Antalya, 16–21 April