Korabelnikov on Challenges Facing Tire Recyclers

At the meeting with journalists, Korabelnikov explained that St. Petersburg tire recycling enterprises face two main difficulties: fluctuations in the urban improvement schedule and the presence of more affordable foreign products on the market, especially from Poland.

“We have a recycling company that makes rubber crumb from these tires, which is then used for urban improvement, among other things. What have we, and the recycler, faced recently? Several circumstances. Firstly, the volumes of improvement work are changing. On the other hand, there is imported Polish crumb, which is much cheaper than the crumb produced by our recycler,” the vice governor stated.

He believes that for stable operation, recyclers need to know the authorities’ long-term plans for improvement in advance. To protect against foreign competitors, Korabelnikov sees a solution in federal support measures. “This raises the question of support at the federal level for such projects. Through the introduction, for example, of import customs duties, so that it is more profitable to buy our crumb, not the Polish one, which is subsidized by the European Union,” he said.

According to Korabelnikov, the key is creating a well-oiled system that includes collection, processing, and sales of secondary raw materials. “If any element drops out, the system itself begins to collapse,” he noted.

Earlier in St. Petersburg, the state enterprise MPBO-2 also began activities for tire recycling and landfill elimination.