Dengue fever and tyres

Even the smallest number of dumped tyres can create a dangerous breeding ground for mosquitoes that transport disease, such as Dengue Fever and the Ross River Virus.

While controlling Dengue fever is a more complex issue than simply managing our waste tyres, there is little question that Australia’s poor management of waste tyres is a significant contributor. Since 2007 (when Australia started its deadly trade in waste tyres) the incidence of Dengue Fever in Vietnam has skyrocketed from an estimated 68,532 cases to 128,831 in 2010. Similarly in 2007 Dengue Fever was very much a rare disease in Australia, with just 187 cases in 2007; by 2010 the rate of infection has increased to 1,171. Leading Epidemiologists and Doctors are warning of the significant risk of Dengue in Australia.*

The World Health Organisation say that stockpiles of waste tyres sent to countries like Vietnam has caused the spread of Dengue Fever and other mosquito borne diseases.

As a result of these health concerns every European nation, the U.K. Canada, and most of the U.S. banned the export of whole waste tyres in 2007.

* Sourced from www.theskids.org.au

Bill Gates has explored the devastating role that mosquitoes play in carrying and spreading disease. He has featured an infographic on his blog revealing mosquitoes kill more humans than any other animal a year. To learn more read the "The Deadliest Animal in the World" article.

Tyre Fires

Tyres are combustible. Once ignited, they are difficult to extinguish — producing chemical toxins that affect humans, flora, fauna, waterways and the atmosphere.

Because of their unique shape and components, once lit, a tyre fire is almost impossible to extinguish. Bushfires can ignite tyre piles which are not stored at appropriate facilities, an example of which occurred at Moyston Victoria, in January 2015, where a stockpile of 30,000 tyres where ignited in the bushfire season. A stockpile of 10 million tyres illegally dumped in parkland near Powys in Wales caught fire in 1989. Unable to access the area fire fighters could not extinguish the blaze and it burnt for over 15 years – in fact the fire continues to smoulder today.

The number of tyre fires is rapidly escalating. The NSW Fire and Rescue Service report that since 2008, there have been 321 fires involving tyres in NSW alone.

Toxic tyres

Whether they are dumped, burnt or landfilled; every tyre that isn’t properly recycled leaches significant toxics and hazardous compounds into our environment. Imagine the impact of 29 million tyres p.a. – that’s an incredible 2,653 tonnes of heavy metals, toxics and poisons introduced into our environment each year! That’s lead, cadmium, dioxins, furans, hydrogen chloride, ben zene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic, mercury, chromium, and vanadium – substances that can cause cancer, mutations, and autism.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The irresponsible management of waste tyres by Australian tyre merchants have placed people’s lives and well being in jeopardy by:

• Extreme Fire Hazards – by allowing 80% of all waste tyres to be handled in ways that create extreme fire hazards.
• Major Risk of Spreading Dengue fever in Australia & Asia – 36 million tyres p.a. are potential mosquito incubators.
• Major risk of Toxic Pollution is caused by introducing over 2,600 tonnes of dangerous chemicals and heavy metals into the environment each year.
• If we recycled the 51 million p.a. tyres wasted, Australia would save around 1.69Mt of Co2-e.

By expanding tyre recycling and the application of tyre products we'll not only reduce the number of tyres sent to landfill but be able to create a cleaner, healthier environment

• Tyrecycle’s operations reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions by 100,000 tonnes CO₂e p.a. That’s the same as taking 21,276 cars off Australian roads.
• Every tonne of tyres recycled replaces the annual production of 35 rubber trees.
• Tyrecycle conserves 61,200 hectares of native forests.