Letter addressed for publishing to Guardian Newspaper by Alan Smith, CEO of EU Water and Power
While there has been some attention paid recently to the nuisances caused by the criminal dumping of scrap tyres, few people realise that tyres harbour another serious hazard -that of disease.
Scrap or 'end of life' tyres -as they are often called - are an ideal breeding ground and transport medium for mosquitos and midges. The 'Asian Tiger' mosquito now sweeping North across France to - inevitably - arrive in the UK made first landfall inside tyres shipped to Bordeaux. Yet the EU accumulates well over 3 million tons a year of waste tyres and recycles, at best, well under 1 million tons. The rest are 'disposed of' - often quasi-legally - by export to the developing world or burial.
The dark, warm, pools of rainwater and mud that accumulate inside tyres are perfect 'battery farms' for mosquitos and midges. These insects are the main vector for West Nile Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and the serious animal diseases of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg Virus. More diseases can be added to the list, some really horrid, but the four named are currently the most visible and costly. And while you can shoot badgers, insects are harder to hit.
Despite this public and animal health issue, and the more apparent ones of dump-fires and fly-tipping, raising investment funds for the comprehensive recycling of tyres is impossible. Tyre dumps are a huge pool of carbon-negative energy if recycled correctly. But used tyres are simply not 'sexy' - unlike big wind or solar projects, which have captured the banker's interest and the funds available for green energy.
£50M for a wind farm in a beauty spot is easy to find, but £10M to eradicate what is both a health problem and a blot on our landscape in a highly profitable and very clean manner is not. I know, I have spent the last 2 years trying.
So we are in a situation where we ignore treasure while investing vast sums of money in a plan to capture rainbows. It was ever thus. Soon we will be tripping over tyres everywhere. Watch out for those Asian Tigers too, they bite like a dog.
Commentaires du rédacteur du site EnergyThic: Quiconque a connaissance de l'existence d'une décharge de pneus dans un rayon de 200 kilomètres autour de Poitiers peut utilement contacter Alan Smith
Comments of EnergyThic website editor: Anyone knowing of the existence of a tire dump within a 200 km radius of Poitiers may usefully contact Alan Smith.