By Rabindra Rooplall

IMPORTERS and dealers in used tyres are still required to register their operation with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), which will continue to monitor the quality and labelling of both new and used tyres imported and offered for sale in Guyana until the proposed ban takes effect and used tyres have been phased out.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a planned series of public activities and meetings to be held this week on the impending ban on the importation of used tyres and the introduction of stricter measures to collect taxes.

A critical meeting to discuss the ban with importers of used tyres will be held in the 5th Floor Training Room of the GRA Camp Street Headquarters on Wednesday at 10.00 am. The focus of the meeting will be to discuss the restrictions on the importation of used tyres for cars, minibuses and pick-up vehicles.

Ever since commencement of the importation of used tyres in Guyana, the GNBS has been monitoring this commodity under its Standards Compliance programme to ensure the commodity meets the requirements of the following three standards: Specification for inflated passenger car tyre, Specification for new pneumatic tyres for commercial highway vehicles, and the Code of Practice for the storage of tyres, inner tubes and flaps.

According to the bureau, monitoring of this commodity is done by inspectors at ports of entry, bonds and outlets, where tyres are examined for labelling and quality requirements.

The GNBS noted that, annually, approximately 50 importers and 70 used tyre dealers register with the GNBS to import and sell tyres on the local market. A large majority of these registrants are involved in the trade of used tyres, which are imported mainly from Europe, and in a few instances from North America.

REJECTED
After varying time periods and for various reasons unknown to the importing countries, these used tyres are rejected for use in the country of origin, so one cannot vouch for their quality and fitness for use during resale.

To ensure used tyres meet the quality and labelling requirements for importation, the GNBS noted, importers are each provided with a copy of the relevant national standards, and are advised to ensure their foreign suppliers are aware of the requirements, in order to minimize rejection at the time of examination in Guyana.

LABOUR INTENSIVE
It must be pointed out that used tyres’ inspection is a highly labour-intensive activity, as tyres are individually inspected for defects. However, some defects are not visible to the naked eye, and many users are not quite sure of the kinds of defects that may be present at the time of purchase.

Over 260,000 used tyres are on average imported annually into Guyana, the Bureau has said, and over the last four years, the GNBS has inspected over 1,100,000 used tyres that were imported at an average rejection rate of approximately 3,000 per year.

In addition, during routine surveillance inspections of used tyre outlets, inspectors have found the following defects apart from inappropriate storage: Tyres with damaged beads, evidence of dry-rot, failure to meet the 4mm thread depth requirements, patches and plugs occurring in close proximity to each other, among other defects. Tyres which are found with these defects are condemned by the GNBS and returned to importers and dealers for disposal.

REJECTED USED TYRES
Given the rate of rejection for non-compliance to standards, (close to 3,000 per year, in addition to those that were changed and discarded after use on vehicles) disposal of rejected used tyres is a real cause for concern. It is not abnormal to see tyres disposed of in a careless manner, thus providing fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes, and causing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases that pose concerns for health authorities.

SAFETY CONCERNS
Given that there are hidden defects in used tyres, human lives are placed at even greater risk, especially given the practice of over-inflating and under-inflating these tyres; using the wrong size tyres; overloading buses in the public transport system, which puts added weight on these used tyres; coupled with speeding on the roadways; one must ask the question: Should safety be compromised for price?