DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION —USED TYRE STORAGE FACILITIES
1074. Hon ROBIN SCOTT to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to question without notice
998 that I asked on 17 September.
(1) Who now owns
the tyres that have been stored?
(2) Were these
new owners of the tyres paid for their storage?
(3) If yes to
(2), how much were they paid for this storage?
(4) Who is liable
if one of these storage facilities catches fire?
(5) Geographically,
where are these storage facilities?
(6) Does the high
tensile steel used in modern tyre construction have any premium as scrap metal?
(7) Are there any
facilities in Perth that can deconstruct these tyres into small pieces?
The PRESIDENT: I remind
members that long questions do not meet the requirement to be concise.
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The operators
of the used tyre storage facilities are licensed to store a maximum number of
tyres. The ownership of the tyres is a matter for each operator.
(2)–(3) Any
fees charged by the operator of a used tyre storage facility is a commercial
matter and not regulated through legislation administered in my portfolio. As
such, I do not have this information.
(4) The holder of
the licence granted under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 is responsible
for the operation of the facility. Licences granted by the Department of Water
and Environmental Regulation typically contain conditions on how used tyres
must be stored to minimise the risk of fires.
(5) The
department advises that licensed used tyre facilities are located across the
state, with similar numbers located in the metropolitan area and in regional
areas.
(6) High tensile
steel used in modern tyre construction does have some value on the scrap metal
market.
(7) A number of
facilities in Perth hold licences under the Environmental Protection Act 1986
to shred tyres.