What happens to old tyres?
We need tyres – millions of them - to get us to school and to work, to keep our trucks and buses moving, and to take us on holiday and to visit our whānau.
But what happens to all our tyres once we’re done with them?
About 40% of the 6.5 million tyres Kiwis use every year are recycled, repurposed, or used as tyre-derived fuel. But the rest end up in landfills, stockpiled or dumped.
The good news is now there’s an easy solution to all that tyre waste. It’s called Tyrewise and is New Zealand’s first national tyre recycling scheme.
Launched in March, Tyrewise works with businesses and communities across the country to turn end-of-life tyres into a resource for our circular economy.
“Tyrewise is aiming to collect and process 80% of end-of-life tyres processed by the fourth year of operation and over 90% by the sixth year,” says Adele Rose of Tyrewise Scheme Delivery Managers 3R Group.
Here’s what you need to know:
New regulations
After years of careful planning and consideration, Tyrewise was launched as a practical solution to tyre waste.
The waste minimisation regulations for tyres came into effect on 1 March 2024. But what does that mean?
Each tyre sold in New Zealand, either loose or on a vehicle, will now incur a tyre stewardship fee, which pays for that tyre to be recycled or repurposed at the end of its life. Part of the fee is also set aside to help create innovative, new uses for end-of-life tyres.
Under the new regulations, everyone who imports or sells pneumatic (airfilled) or solid tyres for use on motorised vehicles must now be registered with Tyrewise.
Anyone who transports or processes end-of-life tyres also needs to register, as well as manufacturers who want to receive incentives for making new products out of end-of-life tyres for the New Zealand market.
How the fee works
The new tyre stewardship fee replaces the old, ad hoc tyre disposal charges paid by consumers.
While consumers and retailers have typically paid for disposal in the past, this hasn’t always meant those tyres ended up in the right place.
With the new stewardship fee, Tyrewise will ensure our tyres are being recycled or repurposed properly – stopping millions of tyres being dumped or ending up in landfills each year.
So instead of paying once you’re finished with a tyre, a stewardship fee is paid at the start, when the tyre is bought. Then Tyrewise will take care of the tyre at the end of its life.
The cost
The stewardship fee will vary depending on the type of tyre you buy. For example, different fees are payable for motorbike tyres versus tractor tyres.
Your retailer or garage will tell you what the fee is for the tyres you purchase. Your fee will cover its collection, recycling/repurposing, as well as research and development of the high-value products which can be made from repurposed tyres.
End-of-life tyres
From 1 September, 2024, Tyrewise will arrange free collection of end-oflife tyres from registered tyre-sellers, garages, and public collection sites around the country.
“The scheme will also ensure the tyres go to registered processors and manufacturers, so they get a second life in a new product, rather than being landfilled, stockpiled, or dumped,” Rose says.
New Zealand recycles old tyres into everything from playground mats to arena mix, to alternative fuel for the country’s only cement manufacturer.
Certainty and transparency
Tyrewise will help balance supply and demand for end-of-life tyres by providing regular pick-ups, by registered transporters, and providing certainty for registered processors, Rose says.
“The transparency of the Tyrewise reporting system means end-of-life tyres end up where they are supposed to be, reducing the risk of illegal dumping, stockpiling or landfilling,” she says.