How this organisation is working to end tyre waste in NZ

Here’s the story of Tyrewise and their mission.

Moving forward together

As the new, national stewardship scheme for end-of-life tyres, Tyrewise is funded by a tyre stewardship fee, which replaces the old, ad-hoc disposal charges. These have not done the job of ensuring tyres are kept out of landfill and stockpiles, an issue which has plagued the tyre industry for years.

In welcoming the launch of Tyrewise, AA Chief Mobility Officer Jonathan Sergel says that until now it has been frustrating to see the majority of tyres not being recycled or repurposed, despite customers and retailers paying disposal fees.

“The AA wants to see an end to irresponsible disposal of tyres like stockpiling or tyre fires,” says Sergel. “Tyrewise gets these tyres back into the economy, and out of landfill.”

Motor Trade Association (MTA) Sector Manager – Repairer & Environmental, Glen McGarry, says their members want consistency around end-of-life tyre collection services and costs.

“Our members are pleased to see the transparency that’s built into the software that retailers, collection sites and transporters will be using as part of Tyrewise,” he says.

Bridgestone Director – New Zealand Business, John Staples says the company has been a proud supporter of Tyrewise from the beginning.

“As a tyre importer with a goal of accelerating the circular economy in our business, Bridgestone are keen to see the resources recovered from tyres that are brought into the country when they’re at the end of their life,” he says.

The watchful guardian

When it comes to ending tyre waste in New Zealand, Tyrewise sees itself as an important kaitiaki, or watchful guardian, of end-of-life tyres which cross our borders, says Rose.

“We needed a national tyre stewardship scheme because there had been a significant failure in managing end-of-life tyres and it was doing ongoing environmental harm to people and the environment,” she says.

“By everyone coming together to work towards a solution, we’ve created a level playing field where everyone is doing their bit to reduce harm and protect the environment for generations to come.”.

NZ as world leaders

Kiwis use about 6.5 million tyres each year to help keep us and our vehicles and machinery on the move, and until now only about 40% of those tyres have been recycled, repurposed, or used as tyre-derived fuel.

Rose wants that to change and says her dream, and that of everyone involved in getting Tyrewise off the ground, is to see New Zealand become world leaders when it comes to recycling and reusing tyres.

“In one respect Tyrewise marks the end of a long journey towards a national tyre stewardship scheme, but in another way it marks the beginning of a long and exciting adventure where we can now focus on all sorts of new, amazing and innovative ways to recycle and repurpose end-of-life tyres,” says Rose.

Tyrewise is aiming to collect and process 80% of end-of-life tyres by the fourth year of operation and over 90% by the sixth year, she says.

New Zealand already recycles old tyres into many products, from playground mats to arena mix, to alternative fuel for the country’s only cement manufacturer.

And the sky’s the limit from there, adds Rose.

“In countries like Canada, the USA and some parts of Europe, their tyre stewardship schemes are reaching 100% or even 110% of their targets for tyres recycled,” she says. “Their schemes have created such demand for processed material from end-of-life tyres that they are actually taking tyres from the surrounding areas to process. That’s the holy grail for us here in New Zealand.”

visiting tyrewise.co.nz.