In Chile, 26 companies come together to create the first end-of-life tyre management – EcoNeu, in compliance with the Law of Extended Producer Responsibility (Nº20,920).
The founders of the system are Bridgestone and Michelin, along with the main tyre importers, and the most important vehicle importers.
Currently, just 15 percent of Chile’s 140,000 tonnes of ELV tyres are recycled every year. EcoNeu hoped to replicate the successes of the EPR schemes in Europe and make a considerable impact upon tyre recycling in Chile.
The EcoNeu system will begin to operate in 2023 and is currently coordinating its strategy and agreements with recycling companies according to the law’s obligations and goals.
General Manager of EcoNeu, Jesus María Nuñez Imaz said:
“Proper management will allow the reuse of used tyres after a retreading operation and transform them at the end of their useful life into secondary raw materials that can be used in multiple applications, such as surfaces for sports courts, playgrounds floors, artificial grass filling, etc. road paving, modified thermoplastics and even new tyres. Likewise, thanks to their great calorific value equivalent to the best coal, they can be used as an alternative fuel in steel and cement companies.”
The founding companies of EcoNeu come from the three trade associations of the sector (Chile Neumáticos, CINC and ANAC) and together it is estimated that they represent more than 50 percent of the volume of car tyre imports.
