It is not working: Tyre fire threat lingers as EPA orders drag out

It is estimated some 80,000 tyres have been piled up at the Airport Park Industrial Estate property, with little movement in the year since it was slapped with a clean up notice from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Located only 200 metres away from the airfield, residents and a tyre waste expert have raised concerns that a fire would cause serious toxic hazard and disruption were one to break out.

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Thurgoona resident John Haydon said he had been raising the issue with council and state authorities since coming upon the stockpile last year.

"If a fire caught, the smoke would close the airport," Mr Haydon said. "That is the main concern but it's also an eyesore and it shouldn't be allowed."

From what he could see from the street, Mr Haydon guessed there to be between 40 to 50,000 tyres on the site, with the potential for more stored in large storage sheds nearby.

Warren Tibbitts from tyre recycling and waste company Clean Energy Group said it was actually closer to an estimated 80,000, particularly as some tyres had been partially shredded already.

He agreed that a fire would cause a toxic threat and force the airport to close. But worse, he said, would be the difficult task of extinguishing the fire.

Last week the EPA and police raided a property in Jindera where officers found a stockpile of about 10,000 tyres.

Though it confirmed investigations into the stockpile and operators were ongoing, the EPA cited the serious penalties applicable due to the combustible fire hazard of tyres.

Mr Tibbits pointed to the example of fires that engulfed "football field"-sized tanks full of tyres in South Australia last week, which he said are still alight and emitting toxic smoke despite being contained.

"The biggest thing is the fire threat from tyres. As we speak there has been a fire burning for over a week in South Australia. It is a massive fire, probably Australia's biggest tyre disaster to date," Mr Tibbitts said.

"We do a lot of work with tyre stewardship for the EPA and councils. We go around and clean up the messes that are left behind.

"We have been processing so many it is unbelievable. Hundreds of thousands of tyres are being dumped.

The Airport Park industrial estate site is believed to have one final month to remediate and remove the fire threat.

The EPA confirmed the clean-up and prevention notices issued March 1, 2022 were still under investigation.

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