Tyrewise tops 8.56 million collections: how to return old tyres

Tyrewise’s dashboard, updated 28 October 2026, records 8,565,098 end-of-life tyres collected and 165,029 collection jobs completed. For a car owner, the practical part is the return route: leave worn tyres with a registered fitter when buying replacements, or take up to five to a registered public collection site.

Tyrewise says no disposal charges apply to those returns. That statement concerns the scheme’s end-of-life collection service. It should not be read as a promise that replacement tyres, fitting, balancing, wheel work, or every service at a transfer station is free.

Collection and processing are different dashboard measures

The same dashboard reports 4,832 tonnes of tyre-derived product, 63,882 tonnes of tyre-derived fuel, and 38,296 tonnes going to overseas end markets. These are separately labelled outcomes, rather than additional tyre counts to add to the collection total.

Tyrewise says its collection and outcome data run from 1 September 2024, while import data run from 1 March 2024. The totals are cumulative for those stated periods. They are not all tyres collected during October, or proof that every tyre collected has become a new road surface or consumer product.

Keep the update date with a quoted total because the dashboard changes. A later count can replace the October snapshot without invalidating the owner’s collection route. For a specific destination or processing question, follow the scheme’s current explanation rather than inferring an outcome from the headline total alone.

Use a registered return point

The Ministry for the Environment describes Tyrewise as the accredited scheme supported by New Zealand’s tyre product-stewardship regulations. Its stated aims include convenient free end-of-life collection and increased reuse, recycling, and repurposing.

Start with the scheme’s registered-partner and collection-site search. If buying new tyres, ask the registered fitter how the old set will be handled and check the quote for the actual fitting and other work. If returning tyres already stored at home, confirm that the chosen public site accepts them before making the trip.

The public-site instruction is for up to five end-of-life tyres. A larger quantity, unusual tyre type, or business stockpile needs a separate enquiry about the appropriate collection arrangement. Do not assume that the household drop-off instruction covers an unlimited load.

Confirm the condition and any separate services

Tyrewise’s local-government factsheet explains the collection-site role and registration within the scheme. It is background to the network, rather than a current opening-hours or acceptance list for every location. Use the current registered-site finder and contact the site about the actual load before travelling.

Ask the chosen site about rims, tubes, tyre types, opening hours, quantity limits, and any separately charged service. Keep the distinction clear on an invoice: a regulated collection route does not settle the cost of every other item delivered with the tyres.

Store and transport the load securely and use the return point’s instructions on arrival. For an owner replacing a normal car set, the straightforward approach is to agree the old-tyre return with the registered fitter while obtaining the replacement quote. For tyres already at home, check a registered public site and its acceptance conditions first.

Sources

• Tyrewise dashboard and return instructions.
• Regulated tyre stewardship — Ministry for the Environment.
• Collection-site background — Tyrewise.