Burrill tours tire recycling facility

Environment Minister stands behind tire burning

Halifax— Despite outcries from communities, the Liberals are going full steam ahead with their announced plan to burn tires. Today, NDP leader Gary Burrill is touring Halifax C&D Recycling, the family-owned facility that turns used tires into construction material.

“Ten years ago, when this debate last came up, there was a question of where the tires would go if they weren’t burned, but now we have a world-class tire recycling program in the province,” said Burrill. “With a successful program like this in place, what would possibly prompt a sensible government to make this kind of backwards move?”

Yesterday morning, following a community meeting in Stewiacke held by concerned citizens, Environment Minister Iain Rankin defended his department’s decision to allow a tire-burning program at the Lafarge cement plant near Brookfield. He stated tire recycling fees will stay the same, even though 24 per cent of used tires in the province will now be burned instead of recycled.

“Forcing the public to pay for a practice that reduces the amount of recycling in the province and subsidizes a private company is simply wrong,” said Burrill.

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