Porirua City Council expects to divert about 2000 tyres from landfill a year when Spicer Landfill becomes a Tyrewise public collection site next week.

From 1 September, people will be able to drop-off up to five old tyres at a time free of charge at Spicer Landfill so long as the tyres are clean and do not have rims.

Tyrewise is New Zealand’s first regulated product stewardship scheme, aimed at reducing illegal dumping, stockpiling and tyres ending up in landfill.

Spicer Landfill is participating in the scheme to provide a public collection site, while registered tyre retailers will also take part by taking customers’ used tyres for free.

"Disposing tyres in the landfill is tricky," says Porirua City Council Manager Waste David Down. "They take up space and need a lot of energy to shred and bury them.

"Un-shredded tyres don’t compact - you can imagine the difficulty of trying to flatten a pile of bouncy tyres. They also don’t always stay buried as their shape can trap gases, causing them to ‘bubble up’ to the surface, potentially damaging landfill liners in the process."

In addition to the tyres taken by customers to the landfill, Porirua’s City Services team currently picks up about 50 illegally dumped tyres per month.

It is hoped that by providing a free drop-off service, fewer tyres will be dumped in reserves, streams and other areas around the city.

Tyres dropped at a Tyrewise public collection site are sent to different companies where they are either turned into material for playground matting, sportsgrounds, or used in cement production (both as fuel and an ingredient).

"Being involved in this scheme gives our residents the opportunity to make good decisions with tyres they no longer need without having to worry about the cost. Besides saving space in our landfill, it’s the right thing to do for our city," says David.

The scheme is funded by tyre stewardship fees, which are collected by the Ministry for the Environment on all new tyres entering the country - whether loose or on vehicles.

© Scoop Media