Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council
A big leap has been made to end the practice of dumping and illegally stockpiling end-of-life tyres, thanks to Tyrewise, a regulated product stewardship scheme that ensures tyres are recycled across Aotearoa, free of charge.
Tyres dumped or improperly stockpiled outdoors release harmful contaminants into the environment, significantly impacting our air, soil and water quality.
After a series of incidents around the Kaikōura district, we’re reminding residents that the Tyrewise scheme is available at their local Innovative Waste Kaikōura (IWK) Resource Recovery Centre.
Uptick in dumping incidents reported
Our local compliance staff recently discovered a number of tyres down the deep gullies next to State Highway 1 (SH1) in Kaikōura, and in the coastal marine area at Goose Bay.
We also know that there are likely other legacy dumping sites and unauthorised stockpiles in the area.
Removing tyres dumped in hard-to-reach locations, like these gulleys, is both difficult and costly, and ratepayers foot the bill.
Tyre dumping is illegal under the Resource Management Act 1992 (RMA). If caught dumping tyre waste, you risk compliance action like fines and abatement notices from the regional council.
Local resource management officer Garry Husband says that we’re remediating the issue, but under the new scheme, there’s no good reason to pollute our environment with tyres.
“We’ve now got a free way to get rid of those old end-of-life tyres that’s local and easy to use. It doesn’t make sense to break the law and pay the hefty cost.”
“Our staff are working alongside community service workers from the Department of Corrections, who are providing manpower to remediate this tricky site.
“We hope to see less of this non-compliant dumping activity in the future.”
Tyrewise scheme
Prior to 2024, the cost of end-of-life tyre disposal was falling on communities, local government and the environment.
There were few collection sites available that would accept unwanted tyres, and the associated costs or travel required made this system inaccessible for many.
As a result, significant amounts of tyres were ending up as discarded waste in our region.
From 1 March 2021, new national regulations from the Ministry of the Environment introduced a stewardship fee to be collected on all regulated tyres when they enter the New Zealand market.
This scheme, known as Tyrewise, ensures that producers take responsibility to minimise the waste and harm caused by tyres at the end of their usual useful life.
Need to recycle your tyres visit Innovative Waste Kaikōura (IWK) Resource Recovery Centre.
How it works
Nationally and across Waitaha/Canterbury, Tyrewise has a network of registered partners and collection sites that take worn out tyres. No disposal charges apply.
In Kaikōura, residents can take up to five end-of-life tyres to their local registered public collection site, IWK Resource Recovery Centre.
Find out more about how this scheme is repurposing old tyres in Aotearoa.
Impact of tyre dumping on the environment
Tyre dumping is an unsightly issue with nasty environmental impacts.
Tyres contain a variety of hazardous substances like heavy metals, organic compounds and microplastics.
Decomposing and sun exposed tyres can produce a toxic leachate that can seep into soil and groundwater, polluting the environment and affecting our precious ecosystems.
Unconsented tyre stockpiles also pose a serious fire risk. Smoke from tyre fires contains harmful chemicals that can contribute to air pollution and respiratory problems for people.
Report dumped or stockpiled tyres: If you come across a tyre dump site or unauthorised stockpile,
report it as an environmental incident by calling us on 0800 765 588 (24 hours), or via the Snap Send Solve app.
