A new partnership to tackle Scotland’s waste tyres has been announced.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Entrepreneurial Scotland have joined forces to eliminate the problem of waste tyres as an environmental issue.

The initiative will work with the Saltire Fellowship Programme, an intensive leadership development opportunity for Scotland’s ambitious entrepreneurs, with Saltire Fellows exploring new ventures that can actively turn waste tyres into viable business opportunities over the next five years.

According to SEPA, around 100 tyres are turned into waste every 15 minutes.

It has committed to developing a specific ‘Sector Plan’ that will set targets and actions to directly tackle waste tyres and the criminal behaviours, such as illegal dumping, that the industry can attract.

SEPA Chief Executive Terry A’hearn said: “The partnership between SEPA and Entrepreneurial Scotland taps into the most creative assets at our disposal to find some truly innovative approaches to reduce or reuse the number of waste tyres circulating in our economy. By working together, we have the potential to create economic opportunities that provide tangible benefits for environmental and social success in Scotland.”

Earlier this year, the world’s first recycling plant for oversized tyres entered construction in Western Australia.