On Friday, January 31st, the CT General Assembly's Environment Committee heard about an important bill related to the health of the Connecticut River. HB 5017 An Act Concerning Participation in the Tire Stewardship Program by Tire Retailers would close a loophole in the recently enacted EPR for tires bill.
While tire producers in CT are now required to join a tire stewardship organization as a result of the bill that passed in 2023 – tire RETAILERS are not currently required. Therefore, they will continue to charge consumers for tire disposal rather than participate in the EPR program, leading to further illegal tire dumping that harms our waters, habitats, and communities. HB 5017 is the bill that would close this crucial loophole and ensure both producers and retailers participate to eliminate this cost burden from consumers.
Every year, Source to Sea Cleanup volunteers pull hundreds of illegally dumped tires out of Connecticut's rivers. This is a serious issue. CRC has been at the front lines of advocating for strong Tire Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for years, and will continue to be vigilant until sensible and legally bound programs are in place throughout the entire Connecticut River watershed.
You can see a copy of CRC’s testimony letter in support of HB 5017 and read the full text below:
To: Honored Co-Chairs, Sen. Lopes and Rep. Parker, and distinguished Members of the Environment Committee
From: Rhea Drozdenko, River Steward at the Connecticut River Conservancy
I am writing on behalf of the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC); we are an environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting the entire Connecticut River watershed through initiatives that support clean waters, healthy habitats and resilient communities. I am writing in support of HB 5017 as it will close a loophole which allows tire retailers to avoid participation in Connecticut’s Tire Stewardship Program. CRC has long been an advocate for Extended Producer Responsibility for tires – and we are so proud that Connecticut was the first state to enact an Extended Producer Responsibility for tires bill in 2023.
Since then, other states in the region have been inspired to start looking at the possibilities for their own states. However, we are missing a crucial piece of the puzzle as tire retailers are currently not required to participate. Therefore, we may see the status quo continue, and unfortunately illegal tire dumping will likely continue in our state.
Connecticut drivers produce roughly 3.5 million scrap tires per year and each year, volunteers in our Source to Sea cleanup take to their rivers to remove many of these illegally dumped tires; to-date, volunteers have retrieved over 14,000 tires from the Connecticut River Watershed. In recent years, volunteers have pulled hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of tires out of rivers during this event, signaling an ongoing problem with the management of scrap tires. Not only is our environment bearing the costs of the scrap tire crisis, but these costs are also forced on taxpayers via municipalities and state agencies that must pay for the retrieval and disposal of illegally dumped tires. We ask you to support HB 5017 to protect the health of our environment and eliminate unfair costs for taxpayers and municipalities across Connecticut by requiring tire retailers to participate in the Tire Stewardship Program.
This article will be updated with the CT General Assembly's decision once it is known.
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