Waste tyre export licence applications

 

When you apply for a licence to export waste tyres, you are assessed against the matters set out in the:

You must provide the following information in your application, otherwise your application may be invalid and could be cancelled.

Documents for all applicants

All applicants must provide:

You must provide evidence that your, or your supplier’s, facility has approval to manage, store and/or process waste tyres. Evidence must include:

  • a current environment protection licence from your state or territory Environment Protection Agency (EPA); and/or
  • development consent from your local government.

You must provide evidence you have a commercial arrangement, or are in the process of securing a commercial arrangement, with every importer of your tyres.

If you export processed tyres or tyre-derived fuel, the evidence should include:

  • the specification the waste is processed to before export
  • how the waste will be used in the importing country.

Note: If you export crumb, buffings, granules or shred for use as tyre-derived fuel, the use must align with the specification.

Evidence could include:

  • signed and/or stamped existing or previous contracts with importers of tyre waste
  • proposed contract with the importer/s
  • records of exports to existing or previous importers of tyre waste
  • correspondence with the importers/s confirming their intent to enter into a contract with you, for example, an official email
  • a declaration that you are in the process of entering into a commercial relationship with the importer
  • letters from importers, or purchase orders, bills of lading, quotes or invoices that state how the processed tyres will be used.

If these documents don’t show how the waste will be used in the importing country, you could provide or ask your importer to provide, a statement, website address, photos or process flow that shows how it will be used. If your buyer is a trader, we will need information on how the crumb, granules, buffings or tyre-derived fuel will be used by on-buyers.

Provide the most recent evidence you have.

Notes:

  • If you show that you are in the process of securing a commercial arrangement, we may ask you to prove that you have secured this arrangement before you export.
  • In your application, you select the countries you export or will export to. Select only the countries you can prove you have, or are in the process of securing, a commercial relationship with.

If you get your tyres from a supplier

If you get your tyres from a supplier, you must provide proof you have a commercial relationship with the supplier when the tyres are supplied.

If you export tyres for retread or re-use, you must also provide proof the tyres that are clean, dry and undamaged before export. You can provide your own proof or get it from your supplier.

If you export crumb, buffings, granules, or shreds for use as tyre-derived fuel, you must also provide:

  • a suitable specification your supplier uses to process the waste tyres
  • proof your supplier can process the waste tyres to the specification they use.

There is information about the documents your supplier could give you. Please ask your supplier to read this and give you the relevant information.

Additional documents to export tyre-derived fuel

As well as documents that all applicants need to provide, you must also present:

  • one or more relevant specifications
  • evidence of processing capability.

Your tyre-derived fuel must be processed to a relevant specification before you export it. In your licence application, you nominate a specification that you process your tyre-derived fuel to.

The specification(s) could be:

  • listed on our website
  • not listed on our website – for example, your importer’s specification.

There are currently no listed specifications for shreds for use as tyre-derived fuel.

You must provide your unlisted specification with your application.

If suitable, we may ask to publish your unlisted specification on our website. Other exporters of the waste tyres can then be aware of it and use it too.

All unlisted specifications must state:

  • packaging requirements
  • calorific requirements
  • particle size or bulk density requirements
  • whether processing tyres in accordance with the specification will result in pieces with dimensions of not more than 150 mm (pieces larger than 150 mm cannot be exported)
  • thresholds for moisture
  • testing or sampling requirements
  • thresholds for contaminants.

Contaminants may include, but are not limited to:

  • steel
  • nylon
  • fibre.

When we assess your licence application, we will check that the contamination levels are appropriate for the intended use of the fuel in the destination country, for example for use as fuel in a cement kiln.

For every specification you nominate in your application, you must prove that you can process your waste tyres to it. To do this, you could provide:

  • an independent technical analysis (such as one undertaken by a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for the testing required) or an internal audit report confirming the processed tyres meets the specification
  • business processes that show how the waste will be processed to the specification. For example, information about the process, machinery and equipment, photographs and flowcharts
  • purchase records, clear photos, and technical specifications (that show make, model and purpose) of the equipment or machinery and how it is used to sort and/or process the tyres to the specification.

This evidence might show that:

  • your twin shaft shredder, or series of shredders, can shred the waste tyres to pieces less than 150 mm
  • your classifier or screen can sort the shred to meet size requirements of the specification.

Additional documents to export tyres for retreading

In your licence application, you must nominate every retread facility that will receive your tyres in every country you intend to export to. You must show that every facility is appropriate to retread the tyres.

As well as documents that all applicants need to provide, you must also present:

  • information about each retreading facility receiving the tyres including their quality assurance processes
  • details of the type and quality of tyres exported for retreading
  • evidence of a commercial arrangement between your importer and retreading facility if the importer is not the retread facility.

Contact us if you are unable to provide this evidence.

You must provide evidence that the tyres you export are appropriate for retread at the retread facility. You must show that they are clean, dry and undamaged at the time of export and that they meet the facility’s requirements (if any).

You could provide:

  • a previous contract with the facility that sets out the type and quality of tyres they accept
  • the facility’s specification for the tyres
  • your business processes that ensure your tyres meet the retread facility’s requirements, which could include:
    • how you source, collect, sort, store and clean the tyres
    • the type (for example, bus, truck or aviation tyres) and age of the tyres that you accept
    • your quality assurance processes (for example, to ensure that there are no holes in the tyres and the casing/walls are intact)
    • how you prepare and pack the tyres for export
    • how you manage unsuitable stock
    • how you meet the retread facility’s specifications (for example, they are the correct size and age)
  • evidence of customs or quarantine checks showing that the tyres have been cleaned.

If your importer is not the facility that will retread the tyres, you must provide evidence of a commercial arrangement between your importer and the retread facility. You could get this evidence from the importer or the retread facility.

Evidence could include:

  • signed and/or stamped existing or previous contracts between the importer and facility
  • proposed contract between the importer and facility
  • records of deliveries of tyres for retread from the importer to the facility
  • correspondence confirming the importer’s intent to enter into a contract with the facility to deliver tyres for retread
  • a declaration from the importer or facility that they are in the process of entering into a commercial relationship with the other.

Provide the most recent evidence you have.

Note: If the evidence shows the importer and facility are in the process of securing a commercial arrangement, we may ask you to prove this arrangement has been secured before you can export.

Additional documents to export tyres for re-use

As well as documents that all applicants need to provide, you must also present:

  • information about each importer of the tyres for re-use
  • details of the type and quality of tyres exported for re-use.

In your licence application, you nominate every importer of your tyres in every country you export to.

You must provide evidence that every importer you nominate is appropriate and can ensure the tyres will be legitimately used for re-use as a tyre.

You could provide:

  • evidence of your importer’s ability to meet the standards of the importing country for tyres for re-use
  • your sales history with the importer (for example, purchase orders).

You must provide evidence:

  • that you are only exporting tyres that can be re-used on a vehicle
  • that you are only exporting tyres that meet your importer’s requirements (if any) about the type and quality of the tyres it buys for re-use
  • that the tyres you export are clean, dry and undamaged at the time of export and that the tread depth is sufficient for re-use.

You could provide:

  • your importer’s specification for tyres for re-use on vehicles
  • records of customs or quarantine checks showing that the tyres have been cleaned.

You could also provide the business processes you follow or have followed to ensure your tyres meet the importer's requirements such as:

  • how you source, collect, sort, store and clean the tyres
  • the type (for example, bus, truck or aviation tyres) and age of the tyres that you accept
  • your quality assurance processes (for example, to ensure that there are no holes in the tyres and the casing/walls are intact)
  • how you prepare and pack tyres for export
  • how you manage unsuitable stock
  • how you meet your importers specifications (for example, the tyres are the correct size and age).

Additional documents to export tyre shred, crumb, buffings and granules

As well as documents that all applicants need to provide, you must also provide:

  • one or more relevant specifications
  • evidence of processing capability.

Your waste tyres must be processed to a relevant specification before you export them. In your licence application, you must nominate a specification that you process your waste tyres to.

The specification(s) could be:

  • listed on our website
  • not listed on our website - for example, your buyer’s specification.

There are currently no listed specifications for tyre shred, crumb, buffings or granules.

You must provide your unlisted specification with your application.

If suitable, we may ask to publish your unlisted specification on our website. Other exporters of the waste tyres will then be aware of it and may use it too.

All unlisted specifications for tyre shred, crumb, granules or buffings must state:

  • what the tyre will be processed into, that is, shred, crumb, granules or buffings
  • packaging requirements
  • size requirements
  • whether processing tyres in accordance with the specification will result in pieces with dimensions of not more than 150 mm
  • thresholds for contaminants.

Contaminants may include, but are not limited to:

  • steel
  • nylon
  • fibre
  • dust.

When we assess your licence application, we will check that the contamination levels are appropriate for the intended use of the shred, crumb, granules or buffings in the destination country; for example, for use in the manufacture of soft fall.

For every specification you nominate in your application, you must prove that you can process your waste to it. To do this, you could provide:

  • an independent technical analysis (such as one undertaken by a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for the testing required) or an internal audit report confirming the processed tyres meets the specification
  • business processes that show how the waste will be processed to the specification. For example, information about the process, machinery and equipment, photographs and flowcharts
  • purchase records, clear photos, and technical specifications (that show make, model and purpose) of the equipment or machinery and how it is used to sort and/or process the tyres to the specification.

This evidence might show that:

  • your shredder, or series of shredders, can process the waste tyres to pieces less than 150 mm
  • your wire drawing machine, zig-zag screen, drum magnet or air separator (blower) can remove wire, steel, nylon or fibre contaminants to meet specifications for granules or crumbs
  • your granulator can meet size requirements of the specifications for granules
  • your grinding mill (miller) can process rubber into crumbs to meet the requirements of the specification
  • your screen can sort the buffings to meet size requirements of the specification.

Contact us

WELD portal: if you have a WELD portal account, contact us via ‘My messages’

Email: exportwaste@nationalepa.gov.au

Phone: 1800 976 422

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

© National Environmental Protection Agency