The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and its more than 1,550 members are urging the EPA not to adopt the proposed rules that will have a significant impact on the scrap recycling industry – specifically the recycling of scrap tires.

The EPA has proposed an overly broad definition of solid waste for nonhazardous secondary materials (NHSMs) used as legitimate alternative fuels for energy. If adopted, the rule change would impact scrap tire processors’ ability to manufacture tire-derived fuel, a specification grade commodity that consumes nearly 50% of all scrap tires generated in the United States, according to ISRI.  

ISRI said though it would like to see the ability to produce tire derived fuel preserved, its preference would be to have these scrap tires recycled and used in products such as rubberized asphalt, landscaping mulch and other crumb rubber products. “Unfortunately, due to the delicate balance of supply and demand, this is not always possible and in order to ensure an environmentally responsible alternative to disposal of scrap tires, many of them are used as an alternative energy source,” the institute said.
 
The long-term consequences of the proposed rule change may result in an excess surplus of tires and the reintroduction of illegal scrap tire piles. Through its efforts, scrap tire recyclers have reduced these stockpiles from over a billion tires in the early 1990s to as little as 128 million today, ISRI said.
 
“ISRI is in strong opposition to this new regulation that EPA is proposing,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “If this rule change was implemented, the effects would be devastating on the industry and the environment.”