Tyrewise stewardship scheme means whole-of-life oversight of your vehicle’s rubber.

BETTER management - including recycling into new uses - of around 6.5 million tyres each year that reach end of the road here and are often subject to poor disposal, including dumping.

That’s the envisaged outcome of the Government-backed Tyrewise regulated product stewardship scheme, which this week reached an important stage, with approval of core regulations.

Controls on what tyres can be imported and sold here and how old tyres are managed have taken 10 years of decision-making.

Importers now have until March 1 of next year to prepare for the first phase of the regulation to come into effect. A second phase then implements on September 1, 2024.  

End-of-life management for tyres is under the auspices of Auto Stewardship New Zealand, a not-for-profit charitable trust which provides governance for the accredited product stewardship scheme. 

ASNZ is chaired by Mark Gilbert, a longtime figure of the national automotive scene and most recently tied to the push for greater adoption of electric-involved vehicles.  

In a shared communication, Gilbert (above) has explained the regulation will reduce the environmental, economic, and societal harm posed by end-of-life tyres that would otherwise be dumped, illegally stockpiled or landfilled.

A key part of the regulation is replacing the existing ad hoc ‘environmental’ or disposal charges that presently involve with disposal of old tyres. 

Under the Tyrewise plan, each tyre coming into New Zealand will incur a fee to be collected by Customs and added to a fund used to establish innovative new uses for end-of-life tyres. That allows for a whole-of-life checking system; a big improvement on past practice.

Gilbert says the regulation is excellent news: “It outlines how regulated product stewardship will work for the first time in New Zealand – enabling an entire industry to effectively manage their product from import to end-of-life.”

All participants in the tyre supply chain from the point of import to end-of-life must register with Tyrewise and are expected to abide by a code of practice which will be audited. 

Gilbert says this will reduce the chance of illegal stockpiling and tyre fires “which impact negatively on our communities and turns a tyre from being wasted into an available resource. 

“This is what industry and the Ministry have been working towards since the beginning – a regulated scheme which provides a level playing field for stewarding end-of-life tyres.

A replacement tyre stewardship fee has been set at $6.65 plus GST for a standard passenger tyre; that covers the cost of future stewardship of the tyre on which the fee is paid.

“It shifts the cost burden of managing end-of-life tyres from disposal to the point of purchase, allowing Tyrewise to manage end-of-life tyres from collection to processing by providing free collection, ensuring tyres end up at registered processors where we can add value,” Gilbert explains. 

Tyrewise sees old tyres as being a valuable resource but estimates just 40 percent are currently recycled or used in the creation of new products after being retired from vehicles. 

It has set a target of 80 percent of tyres processed by the fourth year of operation and more than 90 percent by the sixth year. 

The scheme initially covers air-filled and solid tyres designed for motorised vehicles: Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, tractors, forklifts, aircraft and off-road vehicles. 

Tyres for bicycles and non-motorised equipment, such as prams, as well as coils for retreads will be brought into the scheme at a later date, with consolation about that planned to start late next year.