How Green Are We?
Pellon Tyres Environmental Credentials
Pellon Tyres Environmental Credentials
Most garages are very green today, but not in the 1960s.
From a Batley Garage to Modern Recycling
I can remember starting as an apprentice mechanic at a small British Leyland garage in Batley, West Yorkshire. Garage life was very different then. The workshop floor was thick with old oil and grease, which transferred onto our boots and was trailed everywhere we walked.
The chap in the shop next door used to go mad when we marked his floor with our dirty boots. The mess followed us home as well. Our workwear became so oily that my mother had to wash it separately to stop it contaminating the family’s other clothes.
During winter, we even burnt waste oil in a small pot-bellied stove. It sent thick black smoke up the chimney and, looking back, it was a terrible way to dispose of it. At the time, however, garages simply did not have the environmental knowledge, regulations or proper collection services that exist today.
Almost everything went into the ordinary rubbish. Used oil filters, old tyres and other workshop consumables were thrown away rather than recycled. Waste from garages and local textile mills also found its way into nearby waterways.
Behind our garage ran Batley Beck, which eventually joined the River Calder. It was heavily polluted with waste oil, dyes and other industrial material. There appeared to be very little wildlife in it, and at times the water looked so thick that you felt as though you could almost walk across it.
How Things Have Changed at Pellon Tyres
Things are very different today. At Pellon Tyres in Halifax, we work hard to reduce waste and ensure workshop materials are stored, collected and handled responsibly.
Waste engine oil is kept safely in a dedicated storage tank until it is collected by an authorised waste contractor. Used oil filters are stored separately and collected for appropriate processing rather than being placed in general waste.
Scrap vehicle batteries contain lead, plastic and other valuable materials that can be recovered and reused. We store old batteries safely before they are collected through the proper recycling channels. Used wheel-balancing weights and other scrap metals are also separated and sent for recovery.
Where practical, waste paper is shredded and reused as packing material. Our workshop workwear is professionally collected and cleaned, helping prevent oily clothing and contaminated wash water from being taken into employees’ homes.
Responsible Tyre Disposal
Old tyres remain one of the most visible forms of motor-trade waste. Sadly, fly-tipped tyres can still be found in lay-bys, fields and local beauty spots around Britain.
At Pellon, waste tyres are stored safely and collected by a registered waste carrier. The appropriate waste records allow their journey to be traced from our Halifax depot to an approved recovery or recycling facility.
Depending on the process used, waste tyres can be shredded and recovered for other purposes rather than being dumped into landfill or abandoned in the countryside.
The garage trade has changed enormously since my apprentice days in Batley. We are proud to play our part by handling workshop waste responsibly and helping to protect Halifax, Calderdale and the wider Yorkshire environment for future generations.
Tyre Recycling
The UK tyre industry has made considerable progress in dealing with end-of-life tyres. Instead of being dumped or sent straight to landfill, many waste tyres are now collected for reuse, recycling or controlled recovery.
Some are processed into rubber crumb for products such as safety surfaces and construction materials. Others may be used as a recovered fuel in tightly controlled industrial processes, including cement manufacture. The final use depends on the tyre’s condition and the facility receiving it.
At Pellon, used tyres are stored safely and collected by a registered waste carrier. We retain the appropriate waste documentation and ensure the tyres go to approved recovery or recycling facilities. This is part of our commitment to keeping waste out of the local countryside and waterways.