School children come up with new ideas for old tyres

TRACS (Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme) has announced the two joint winners of its inaugural Primary Schools Competition. TRACS asked primary school students to think about the best uses for used tyres and to tell the story of their family car tyre in a second life as a reused, recycled, crumbed or re-treaded tyre.

The competition was open to 4th, 5th and 6th class pupils.  Children were allowed to submit their entry either as an illustration or as an essay and one winner was picked in each category.

Brody Davies (5th class) from Gaelscoil Moshiolog in Gorey, Co. Wexford, won the written category while Seamus O’ Grady (6th class) from Shronell National School, in Lattin, Co. Tipperary won the illustrated category. Each of the pupils won €500 for themselves and €500 for their school library fund.

Seamus O Grady’s black and white illustration showed many different uses of tyres in a playground setting, while Brody Davies’ story told the tale of ‘TRACS the luckiest tyre in the world’ who survived a car crash and began a new life as a playground surface area.  He subsequently married ‘Tina the Tyre’, in a ceremony performed by Elvis from the Las Vegas Chapel of Love and lived happily ever after.

The aim of the competition was to increase awareness and thinking amongst children and their teachers about what happens to tyres once they have come to the end of their life on a family car.

Children from all over Ireland interpreted the task in various ways and came up with many innovative and purposeful new lives for their tyres such as silage and equestrian mats, playground equipment and even breaking in donkeys.

TRACS is a non profit, voluntary compliance scheme for tyre industry operators which is supported by the Irish Tyre Industry and approved by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.  It is Ireland’s first tyre compliance scheme and was introduced in January 2008 following the 2007 Waste Management Regulations.  The regulations state that holders of waste tyres must deal only with reputable contractors.

Fiacra Quinn, Director of TRACS, commented, “Over the past few years, TRACS members have been changing attitudes in the way that the industry manages its tyre waste.  It is important that children learn about environmental challenges and to think about how they might tackle them with innovative solutions in the future.  Encouraging critical thinking and problem solving at this young age will direct children to ponder making the best use of their resources and managing their environment into the future.”

TRACS has had a major influence on changing industry attitudes to managing tyre waste since its inception in 2008.  84% of producers/importers, 68% of retail outlets, 60% of wholesalers and 82% of waste collectors by unit have now become members of TRACS and have been positively changing the way the industry as a whole perceives its waste obligations.  2011 figures show that 47.59% of waste tyres were crumbed for conversion into saleable products.