Silage tyres:
first Ensivalor site opened its doors
this morning in the Vendée

The flawless organisation by the professional farmers’ union and the Vendée Chamber of Agriculture has allowed the farmers of this département to be the first to benefit from the recycling of their silage tyres by the association Ensivalor. Three collection points have been designated, from which the equivalent of 250,000 passenger vehicle tyres will be progressively removed from 6 July until the end of August. They will be recycled as an alternative fuel source for cement works

 
  
The first silage tyres left by Vendée farmers at the Givrand collection site were removed this morning. They will be recycled for fuel for cement works

In July 2019, as part of the Voluntary Agreement signed with the French State Department for Ecological Transition and in close partnership with the key players in the world of agriculture (the Permanent Assembly of the Chambers of Agriculture, the FNSEA and French Young Farmers), the key players from the tyre sector launched the operation Ensivalor and set up the association of the same name. Ensivalor thus groups together car manufacturers, equipment manufacturers represented by Aliapur, importers or producers of own-brand tyres, represented by FRP, AFIP and Mobivia. The aim of the association is to collect and process silage tyres – that is, tyres which farmers use to weigh down the tarpaulins that protect their animal fodder.

The actions of Ensivalor are reserved as a priority for farmers who are stopping or transferring their activity so as to prevent the formation of dumps of tyres, and for those who are committed to replacing these tyres with an alternative technique for protecting their animal fodder. The choice of farms to be collected from was made by representatives of the farmers.

In practical terms, the convention signed with the State Department is for the processing of 15,000 tonnes of silage tyres every year – the equivalent of 2 million passenger vehicle tyres. The collection and processing of these volumes will be financed 50% by Ensivalor, 40% by the farmers and 10% by the French State.

Unified agricultural organisations

The Vendée was one of the first départements to take an interest in this project. On 17 October last year, the representatives of the departmental federation of farm unions, the Chamber of Agriculture, the Young Farmers and the association for the promotion of agriculture, Nature et Vie Vendéee joined up with the French State Department for Ecological Transition to understand the modalities of Ensivalor collections and defend the interests of their farmers.

Given Ensivalor’s ability to process 15,000 tonnes per year in France as a whole, collections in the Vendée in 2020 will concern a first batch of 2,000 tonnes, or the equivalent of 250,000 passenger vehicle tyres. The cost of the project is estimated at €240,000.

Three voluntary collection points

The principle is simple: three collection sites have been designated as voluntary collection sites for silage tyres to be recycled. They are Givrand (85800) from 6 to 27 July, then Foussais-Payré (85240) from 28 July to 14 August, and finally Saint-Prouant (85110) from 17 to 25 August.

Beyond their geographical situation, these sites were chosen because they are easy to access, they have a weighing system for trucks to count the volumes collected, and they have sufficient surface area for storage of the tyres. In total, the tyres from almost 600 farmers are expected: two thirds passenger vehicle tyres, 20% truck tyres, and the rest agricultural tyres.

These tyres will progressively be removed by a transporter mandated by Ensivalor and taken to the site of the company Alcyon, an Aliapur service provider near Bordeaux. On site, they will be shredded to be recycled as an alternative fuel source for cement works. Having spent many years outside, exposed to the sun and bad weather, these tyres have effectively lost their flexibility and elasticity, making them unfit for material recycling. On the other hand, their calorific value is intact: the 2,000 tonnes of silage tyres collected in the Vendée will thus make it possible for the cement industry to make savings of almost the equivalent in tonnes of coal. Well played!

Summary in figures

Ensivalor:

• 15,000 tonnes of tyres to be processed in total per year.
• This tonnage represents the equivalent of more than 2 million passenger vehicle tyres.
• Funding: 50% by the members of the association Ensivalor, 40% by the farmers (unions and authorities), 10% by the State via the Ademe.

In Vendée:

• In 2020, Ensivalor will process a first batch of 2,000 tonnes, or the equivalent of 250,000 passenger vehicle tyres.
• 3 collection sites in the département will take in tyres from 600 farmers.
• From 6 July to 25 August, 67% of passenger vehicle tyres, 20% of truck tyres and 13% of agricultural tyres are expected.
• This site will cost €240,000.
• One single outcome is possible for these tyres: they will be sent as an alternative fuel source for cement works.