Bonn, January 30.01.2024, XNUMX The ZARE initiative (Certified Waste Tire Disposer) has been documenting illegal dumping of old tires in Germany for years. A look at the reported cases from last year shows that illegal dumping in nature has continued to increase. Field paths, forests, roadsides - the environmental offenders don't even stop at orchards and playgrounds. ZARE takes stock of the past year and appeals to consumers and collection points for used tires to take the facts seriously and to contact certified companies for disposal.
On the ZARE website, citizens have the opportunity to report illegal waste tire dumping in their city. Last year, this offer was widely used again and the results are shocking: the total number of old tires illegally discarded in nature that were reported to ZARE was over 2023 in 31.000. This means that the total number has increased by a good 13.000 tires compared to the previous year. Since these are only the reported cases, the number of unreported cases is probably significantly higher. With the documentation, thanks to the support of attentive citizens, ZARE is making an important contribution to pointing out the grievances in waste tire disposal. The reports cover the whole of Germany, with some federal states being particularly affected last year: most cases were reported on the ZARE website in North Rhine-Westphalia, closely followed by Lower Saxony and Bavaria. Hesse recorded the largest amount of illegally dumped tires - including a single find with a total of 20.000 tires.
Environmental damage caused by illegal disposal
Regardless of whether it is a question of small or large quantities of tires that end up in nature illegally - such actions are punishable by law and are punished with high fines. Depending on the federal state, a single illegally disposed tire can result in a fine of up to 300 euros. However, the municipalities are usually stuck with the costs of disposing of the tires because the perpetrators cannot be caught. Added to this is the considerable environmental impact on people and nature: the tires rot extremely slowly and also do not create a beautiful picture in the landscape. In order to prevent illegal deposits and their consequences, the commitment of consumers and collection points such as workshops and car dealerships is required. “Drivers should make sure to only hand in their tires to companies that dispose of them safely. If in doubt, ask the acceptance point,” advises Christina Guth, network coordinator at ZARE. Disposing of used tires at certified waste disposal companies ensures that the tires are used for the best possible purpose and that the valuable raw materials are recycled in an environmentally friendly manner and in the spirit of a sustainable circular economy. Certified waste disposal companies have the expertise to properly sort old tires and use them in the most sustainable ways - this includes retreading, exporting used tires as well as material and thermal recycling.
More about ZARE / report illegal deposits: https://zertifizierte-altreifenentsorger.de/
About the ZARE initiative
The ZARE initiative is an amalgamation of 18 companies organized in the Federal Association of Tire Trade and Vulcanizing Trades (BRV), 16 of which are certified waste management companies. The ZARE partners have set themselves the task of raising awareness of professional tire recycling in Germany. ZARE informs drivers about the environmentally friendly disposal of used tires. At 25 locations, the ZARE partners cover almost all of Germany and the Netherlands.
The partners of the initiative are:
Allgemeine Gummiwertstoff und Reifenhandels GmbH, Bender Reifen Recycling GmbH, CVS Reifen GmbH, Danninger OHG Spezialtransporte, G & K Recycling Utsch GmbH, Hartung Speditions-, Handels- und Transport GmbH, HRV GmbH, KARGRO BV, KRAIBURG Austria GmbH & Co. KG, KURZ Karkassenhandel GmbH, Mondo Reifenmarkt GmbH, MRH Mülsener Rohstoff- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH, NZ-Entsorgung eK, Reifen DRAWS GmbH, Reifen Külshammer, Reifengruppe Ruhr, REIFEN OKA – Reifenhandel, TireTech GmbH
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Image 1: zare_location_map_illegale-tire-disposal
Caption 1: The “illegal used tire dumps” map from the ZARE initiative https://zertifizierte-altreifenentsorger.de/illegale-altreifenentsorgung-in-deutschland/
Source: ZARE initiative
Image 2: illegal_waste_tire_disposal_in_nature
Caption 2: Illegal disposal of old tires, regardless of the quantity, is against the law and is punishable by heavy fines.
Source: ZARE initiative
