TRACS (Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme) has announced the two joint winners of its inaugural Primary Schools Competition in which asked primary school students to think about the best uses for used tyres.

The competition was open to 4th, 5th and 6th class pupils with children allowed to submit their entry either as an illustration or as an essay, with one winner picked in each category.  

Brody Davies (5th class) from Gaelscoil Moshiolog in Gorey, Co. Wexford, won the written category while Seamus O’ Grady (6th class) from Shronell National School, in Lattin, Co. Tipperary won the illustrated category. Each of the pupils won €500 for themselves and €500 for their school library fund.

Seamus O Grady’s black and white illustration showed many different uses of tyres in a playground setting, while Brody Davies’ story told the tale of ‘TRACS the luckiest tyre in the world’ who survived a car crash and began a new life as a playground surface area. 

The aim of the competition was to increase awareness and thinking amongst children and their teachers about what happens to tyres once they have come to the end of their life on a family car.

Children from all over Ireland interpreted the task in various ways and came up with many innovative and purposeful new lives for their tyres such as silage and equestrian mats, playground equipment and even breaking in donkeys. 

TRACS is a non profit, voluntary compliance scheme for tyre industry operators which is supported by the Irish Tyre Industry and approved by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Fiacra Quinn, Director of TRACS, commented, “It is important that children learn about environmental challenges and to think about how they might tackle them with innovative solutions in the future.”

TRACS has had a major influence on changing industry attitudes to managing tyre waste since its inception in 2008.  84% of producers/importers, 68% of retail outlets, 60% of wholesalers and 82% of waste collectors by unit have now become members of TRACS and have been positively changing the way the industry as a whole perceives its waste obligations.  2011 figures show that 47.59% of waste tyres were crumbed for conversion into saleable products.