This criterion aims to promote the contribution of the facility to the Australian consumption of tyre-derived material (TDM) and the reuse of used tyres. The scoring ranges from no contribution to domestic product consumption, through to being the highest producers of TDM consumed in Australia. A recyclers or collector's contribution includes TDM or whole tyres repurposed in an approved application in Australia, or diverting used tyres back into the system for reuse in Australia either as seconds (meeting Australian standards) or a retread/repaired tyre (truck or Off-the-Road).

This criterion scores the proportion of used tyres collected by a recycler and processed into TDM for environmentally sound use (not landfilled). Landfilling of EOLT is an acceptable practice by TSA-accredited recyclers and collectors where no viable recovery alternative is available or the EOL tyres are deemed unfit for use as a TDM. While landfilling can be an acceptable practice, the processing and disposal of tyres by a recycler is taken into consideration in the allocation of a star rating. 
 
The scoring ranges from less than 50% of used tyres processed by a recycler into TDM used for environmentally sound use through to greater than 90% of used tyres received by a recycler processed into TDM used for environmentally sound use. The 90% category accounts for a small volume of processed materials potentially needing to be sent to landfill due to contamination or residual fibre from the crumbing of passenger tyres.

Moving towards a recovery route involving circular economy principles (materials recirculating) and waste hierarchy principles (prevent, reuse, recycling, energy, disposal) requires investment in appropriate technologies. 

This criterion recognises the investment in technologies producing higher value products and aims to promote facilities investing in technologies which align with the circular economy and waste hierarchy.  

Scoring starts from: no processing capability; followed by basic size reduction (shearing and cutting); shredding capability only; hybrid processing (material and energy outputs) e.g., Pyrolysis; and finally granules and crumbing or retreading capability.

This criterion will be updated when new technologies enter the Australian market. 

To achieve and maintain accreditation, facilities are audited by auditors external to TSA. Audit findings are provided to TSA and scored. Scores are determined by the number of open-risk findings. Recyclers and collectors with no or low-risk findings score higher than facilities with high-risk findings. Recyclers and collectors are provided with timeframes to address the risk findings.

This criterion promotes the facilities that operate at best practice standards and encourages others to improve. 

Being accredited within the Scheme demonstrates an organisation is dealing transparently and complying with relevant laws and practices while the EOL tyres remain in Australia. Once EOL tyres and TDM leave Australia however, it becomes difficult to determine if the next use is dealing transparently and complying with relevant laws and practices. 

This criterion demonstrates that a Scheme participant’s EOL tyres and TDM exported overseas is managed transparently, complying with relevant laws and practices as well as being an environmentally sound use. 

Scoring starts with low score for recyclers and collectors that do not have their foreign end markets verified through to collectors and recyclers who have all of their foreign end markets verified. 

Recyclers and collectors that do not export EOL tyres or TDM are not assessed against this criterion.