Free tyre disposal at Hokitika Transfer station
Tyrewise
In July 2020, tyres became the first of the government’s ‘priority products’ with regulations to make sure those making, selling and using tyres take responsibility to prevent end-of-life tyres ending up in landfills or the environment. Instead, they will become useful resources to create economic and social benefit as part of a circular economy. The scheme currently covers tyres from motorised vehicles. Bicycle tyres, tyres for non-motorised equipment such as prams, and pre-cured rubber for retreads will come under Tyrewise at a later stage.
Since 1 September members of the public in Westland can dispose of 5 end-of-life tyres at a time for free at the Hokitika transfer station. A fee for transportation of tyres back to Hokitika remains in place at Council’s other transfer stations.
These tyres are then collected by Tyrewise who pays for the collection and pays processors to convert the tyres into products such as playground matting and cement production. There are also promising uses for end-of-life tyres currently being researched and tested including rubber in roading (extensively used overseas) and rubber in residential foundations to improve earthquake resilience.
This is great news for the community. Tyres take up a lot of space in the landfill and can cause issues with stockpiling that Council must manage. With Tyrewise collecting the tyres and repurposing them, it will take longer for space in our landfills to be exhausted and will reduce costs for the ratepayer for Waste Levy and tyre disposal fees. At the same time, the rubber from tyres will be put to good use instead of slowly rotting and releasing harmful greenhouse gas.
To find out more about Tyrewise and the scheme, visit their website.
