The systematic recycling of used vehicle tyres in Finland was started in 1996. This was based on the Council of State's decision no. 1246, October 12, 1995 setting an obligation for tyre producers to take responsibility for used tyres. To fullfill this obligation the major importers and domestic manufacturers in the tyre business along with Autonrengasliitto (The Tyre Association) voluntarily set up an administrative company, Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd, for this purpose. The company's objective is to take care of the collection and utilisation of used vehicle tyres in Finland. The operational part in the recycling process is run by Kuusakoski Oy.
The Finnish market is producing approximately 37 000 tonnes of used vehicle tyres annually, equivalent to 3,3 million car tyres a year. At the moment over 90 % of these tyres are collected and recycled. By the end of 2006 Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd had received over 300 000 tonnes of used tyres in total.
Tyre recycling internationally
It has been estimated that around one billion tyres are withdrawn from use in the world each year. The corresponding figure in Europe is around 250 million tyres. Of these tyres, around 60% are reused in some way and the rest end up in landfills. As recently as 1994 the figures were almost the other way round, with over 60% of tyres ending up in landfills. Recycling has developed quickly and at the same time legislation has become more strict.
ETRA (The European Tyre Recycling Association), together with the CEN (The European Committee for Standardisation), has initiated a project whose aim is to develop common standards for four different materials made from used tyres.
The annual accumulation of used tyres in EU-countries
| Country: | Used Tyres / Year: | Population: |
| Netherlands | 65.000 tn | 15.492.800 |
| Belgium | 70.000 tn | 10.143.000 |
| Spain | 330.000 tn | 39.241.900 |
| Ireland | 7.640 tn | 3.591.200 |
| Great Britain | 400.000 tn | 58.684.000 |
| Italy | 360.000 tn | 57.330.500 |
| Austria | 41.000 tn | 8.045.800 |
| Greece | 58.500 tn | 10.474.600 |
| Luxembourg | 2.000 tn | 412.800 |
| Portugal | 45.000 tn | 9.920.800 |
| France | 380.000 tn | 58.265.400 |
| Sweden | 65.000 tn | 8.737.500 |
| Germanny | 650.000 tn | 81.845.000 |
| Finland | 30.000 tn | 5.116.000 |
| Denmark | 38.500 tn | 5.251.600 |
| Total | 2.542.640 tn | 372.552.900 |
