More than 3,000 tyres recycled in amnesty

THERE are now 3050 fewer tyres that could potentially end up being fly-tipped in Carmarthenshire.

A tyre amnesty was held across the county in Llanelli, St Clears, Ammanford and Llandeilo.

Residents could take along any unwanted tyres to dispose of free of charge.

The aim was to encourage householders to dispose of their waste responsibly and raise awareness of fly-tipping and its consequences.

The amnesty was organised by Tidy Towns in conjunction with KBHS Ltd who provided the containers, haulage and the recycling.

Executive board member for regeneration Councillor Clive Scourfield said: “I am delighted the amnesty has been such a success. Tyre companies attach a charge to any tyres that are disposed of at their business so illegally dumped tyres are a big problem not just in Carmarthenshire but across the UK.

“Fly-tipping not only spoils our quality of life and enjoyment of the environment but it is a blight on the landscape and can have a detrimental effect on tourism. It also costs local authorities millions of pounds every year to clean up and causes harm to wildlife and the environment.”

This was the second tyre amnesty organised by Tidy Towns in the last 12 months which means in total 8426 tyres have been collected and potentially prevented from being fly-tipped.

Tidy Towns is a Welsh Assembly Government-funded initiative delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy to encourage and support communities to improve the quality of their local environment.

The tyre amnesty was supported by Fly-tipping Action Wales, a national initiative that brings together 40 partner agencies from across Wales to tackle the problem of fly-tipping.

South-West Wales co-ordinator for Fly-tipping Action Wales Emma Davies said: “Fly-tipping is a crime which has major repercussions on the environment. Burning tyres produces toxic fumes and the liquid produced when these fires are put out will harm wildlife, particularly animals that live in rivers or streams.

“It is important to work with partners like Tidy Towns to make sure residents understand the severity of the crime, which can lead to fines of up to £50,000, and find out how they can responsibly dispose of waste. Amnesties are a great chance for residents to get rid of unwanted waste, safely, legally and responsibly.”

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