The European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) is an independent, member-driven European Association comprised of +250 recycling professionals involved in the diverse activities of the ‘tyre recycling industry’. ETRA members include both the public and private sectors involved in the environmentally sound disposition of post-consumer tyres. Membership is open to granulaters and other processors of post-consumer tyres, as well as users of the materials in an expanding number of products and applications. Tyre management bodies and collectors, research and training bodies, developers, manufacturers of recycling equipment, and other interested parties are also active members of the association.

ETRA works closely with other recycling orgnaisations, waste management bodies and government agencies to en-sure that recyclers’ concerns are taken into consideration in the development of EU legislation. Most recently, ETRA has worked with these bodies towards the enactment of the revised Framework Directive on Waste – which, for the first tie, includes a definition of recycling – but also of the point at which as waste ceases to be a waste. ETRA and its partners are currently working towards the point at which recycled tyre materials may freely enter into the EU material stream – without the onus of ‘waste management’ edicts.

ETRA membership offers a variety of services and opportunities including:

participation in the Annual General Assembly which plans ETRA activities for the short and long-term;

attendance at the annual conference, replete with myriad opportunities for contacts with current and potential colleagues, as well as government officials at the EU, national, local level;

participation in EU programmes such as REACH pre-registration, CEN standardisation projects, EU consortia (e.g., the ERC) and a variety of funded projects ;

Involvement in the evolution, enactment and implementation of EU legislation;

Contributions to ‘The Introduction to Tyre Recycling’;

Newsnotes;

Periodic reports;

Meetings and seminars;

Contact with Member State representatives and sector experts;

Information concerning industry trends and actions affecting the industry;

Opportunities to participate in funded and or sponsored projects of interest and importance to the industry;

Access to a coded web-site will be added;

…and many many other