Connecticut passes HB 6486 on the Road to EPR

Connecticut has passed a bill requiring producers to bear the costs of tyre transport and recycling or disposal.

Connecticut recently became the first state to pass an extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill for tyres in both legislative chambers. The bill, HB 6486, is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont and should go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. 

The Bill to introduce a level of EPR in Connecticut is the first of its kind in the USA and has faced a great deal of opposition from the tyre trade. Ironically, this type of scheme is exactly what is promoted to recycle tyres in most of Europe, South America and a growing number of countries – India is in the process of introducing its EPR scheme.

Currently, Connecticut retailers and repair shops charge customers a tyre recycling fee that is supposed to cover the cost of proper transport and recycling or disposal. Under the new EPR legislation, the same fee will be moved to the point-of-sale, meaning the producer will bear the costs of post-consumer recycling instead of a customer, repair shop, transporter or retailer. Additionally, the new legislation would mean transporters are paid only upon delivery of the tyres to a processor or end market. The entire system must be managed by tyre manufacturers, including transparent and auditable reporting to the state. 

Once the bill is signed, the state says it expects to see an increase in the retreading and recycling of a significant number of the roughly 3.1 million scrap tyres generated annually in Connecticut.

Tom Metzner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Jen Heaton-Jones of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority championed HB 6486. 

Source: Recycling Today