New Regulations For the Disposal of Used Tires Announced
Next time you purchase new tires for your vehicle, you must hand over to the retailer your old ones, according to a government decree published last month and made public yesterday by the ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila.

The announcement was made public also with the attendance of the president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), Eduardo Doryan Garrón; Danilo Rodríguez of the Fundellantas; and Horacio Hidalgo, marketing director of Bridgestone Firestone, in Costa Rica.

The move is to combat Dengue.

The decree forces retailers of tires to receive the old tires and to dispose of them properly if the want to continue to operate, failing with the Minsterio de Salud (Health Ministry) will revoke its "permiso de funcionamiento" - operating license.

Studies indicate that some 800.000 tires annually are discarded in the country. Experts believe that they can recover some 70% of the tires and dispose of them properly and protect the environment.

"With this regulation we have given one step forward to the recycling process; forming part of the Plan Nacional de Residuos Sólidos which will be ready in September; notwisthstanding, we have already begun to advance some of the aspects that appear important that are included in the plan", said Salud minister, María Luisa Ávila.

The new regulations place the responsibility on tire manufactures, importers and retailers. All of who must daily provide a report with information on the number of tires to be disposed of and with their respective classification, as to type and signed by the company. The regulation forces the tires to be stored in an adequate enclosure to avoid the the propagation of the dengue mosquito.

The register must then be sent to the Ministerio de Salud every six months.

To complete the process, the handling and final disposition of the tires has to be detailed, including the name of the company and license plate of the vehicle that hauls off the used tires.

The new regulation also forces the municipalities to collect used tires in their collection day of non traditional trash.