A NEW initiative intended to put the brakes on fly-tipping of tyres has been launched in Newport.

Newport City Council and Natural Resources Wales have launched the Newport Tyre Tagging scheme.

Through the partnership, garages, tyre fitters and other businesses are able to mark tyres, making it easy to identify who is responsible for them - and ultimately deter  criminals from dumping them.

Cllr Roger Jeavons, council deputy leader and cabinet member for city services, said: “Tyres will be marked with a tyre crayon so that they are easily identifiable, making it harder for criminals to illegally dispose of them.

“We will be offering businesses the chance to sign up for the scheme and they will receive free publicity materials, so their customers are assured that waste tyres are disposed of in the proper way.”

Cllr Ray Truman, cabinet member for licensing and regulation said the council will carry out follow-up visits to all commercial businesses involved in the handling of waste tyres and have not signed up to the scheme to make sure they are correctly disposing of such waste.

He said: “Together we will help to stamp out illegal activity in our local area, demonstrating our commitment to responsible tyre disposal.”

Adrian Evans, tackling waste crime advisor from NRW, said: “The aim of the scheme is to stop tyres ending up in the hands of unscrupulous operators which can happen because waste tyres are expensive to dispose of correctly.

“Criminals can capitalise on this by taking your money and then dumping the tyres in our environment. This not only makes it more difficult for legitimate businesses to operate, but damaged our precious environment.”

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Businesses that join the scheme will get:

  • Publicity materials to use in store and online
  • A pack of tyre marking crayons
  • Advice and guidance from experts on safely disposing tyres.

Anyone who witnesses any unusual activity regarding the disposal of tyres should contact the council through their website or by calling 01633 656656.

In 2020/21 Newport council attended more than 4,000 fly tipping incidents and spent more than £150,000 clearing dumped waste. Data from Natural Resources Wales showed that tyre disposal waste crimes increased by more than 150 per cent and Newport is a hotspot for the reports.

Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert said: “Fly-tipping blights our countryside and open spaces, as well as posing a risk to wildlife and grazing animals. Removing it comes at a significant cost to the taxpayer.

“This simple scheme will protect businesses that are trying to dispose of their waste responsibly and help us to catch those who choose to dump waste illegally.”

All businesses have a duty to ensure that their waste doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. To avoid this business owners should:

  • Ask if your contractor is registered to carry waste. 
  • Ask where they are taking your tyres - this should be to a site that holds a waste permit.
  • Ask for a transfer note, this will tell you where your waste has gone. You should keep a copy of this note for two years.
  • If you are offered a price for disposing of your tyres that seems too good to be true, think twice as it probably is.