Tyrewise: Transforming Tyre Waste into Opportunity

Tyrewise, New Zealand's first national tyre recycling scheme, is now operational and tackles the environmental issue of end-of-life tyres, with approximately 4 million tyres wasted annually.

Many of these tyres end up in landfills, are stockpiled, or are illegally dumped, posing significant environmental risks.

The initiative, supported by industry and government, provides accessible public collection sites across New Zealand.

Tyrewise introduces a tyre stewardship fee, charged at the time of purchase, to fund proper recycling. The fee, starting from $6.65 (excluding GST) for a standard passenger tyre, varies depending on the tyre type. Consumers can leave old tyres with registered sellers or at public collection sites.

---

---

Registered collection sites allow residents to drop off up to five tyres at a time, ensuring they are recycled responsibly. This initiative supports the creation of new products from tyre-derived materials and fuels, fostering a sustainable future in New Zealand.

For more information visit, Tyrewise's official website.

Currently there are only two collection sites for our region:

1. Waitākere Refuse and Recycling Transfer Station, Henderson, Auckland
2. Dargaville Resource and Recovery Park, Kaipara

How recycled tyres are used

There are a variety of initiatives and companies currently recycling tyres:

Matta™ manufactures safety surfacing products containing a high proportion of recycled truck tyre rubber. Their recycled products are made from up to 95% recycled materials which include end-of-life tyres but also road cones, deflated pool toys and gumboots.

---

Researchers at the University of Canterbury (UC) and Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) have been investigating the use of finely shredded end-of-life tyre rubber as an additive in building foundations. Plans are under way to construct a test building using the system where its performance and environmental impact can be tested in a real-world setting.

The researchers see it as a very promising, cost-effective system for protecting residential buildings against the effects of earthquakes. It has the added benefits of reducing the need for gravel as aggregate and could keep used tyres out of landfill. The ESR did lab-scale testing on leaching and found no toxicity issues.

Building 722 x 200m2 homes in this way would use all the end-of-life tyres generated in New Zealand annually.

Golden Bay is New Zealand’s only local cement manufacturer, producing close to 1 million tonnes of cement a year. They co-process end-of-life tyres alongside wood waste as an alternative fuel in their cement kiln.

Golden Bay produces EcoSure® – cement with the lowest embodied carbon available in Aotearoa.

Using chipped tyres and wood waste as an alternative fuel source significantly reduces Golden Bay’s dependency on coal, which is currently imported from Australia. The steel in tyres also provides iron which is essential for cement production – the co-processing of end-of-life tyres reduces the use of iron sand up to 35%.

Currently Golden Bay derives 15% of its fuel needs from tyres but has the capacity to reach up to 30% – the maximum amount which can be used in their process and equipment.

Treadlite is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest transporters and processors of end-of-life tyres, using the processed rubber to make innovative new products.

From their base in Cambridge the team recycles 1.3 million end-of-life tyres per year and have plans to triple that figure.

Treadlite uses end-of-life tyres to make granulated rubber for use in a variety of applications in New Zealand and Australia. These range from artificial sports fields and equestrian arenas to playground matting. Treadlite is also working together with a group of companies to introduce the use of rubber in roading in New Zealand.

If you would like to report a case of illegally dumped or stockpiled tyres, please contact Tyrewise.