The latest Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) research has found strong public support for mandatory national rules governing the collection and recycling of end-of-life tyres
In March 2026, YouGov conducted a national study for TSA among 1,051 vehicle owners, finding that 91% support the Australian Government introducing national rules that require all used tyres to be properly collected and recycled, with 55% strongly agreeing. Support for greater industry responsibility stands at 92% and 87% support increased penalties for illegal dumping.
At the same time, the TSA research shows that 48% of vehicle owners are not confident that used tyres are disposed of responsibly, while 61% of those who replaced tyres in the past three years received no information at the point of sale about the fate of their old tyres.
The findings land as the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation and Science conducts its Inquiry into the Australian Tyre Industry, to which TSA has submitted a seven-point reform package headlined by a whole-of-supply-chain mandatory scheme.
Lina Goodman, CEO of TSA, said: “For years the question has been whether Australians would accept a regulated scheme and the cost transparency that comes with it. The answer is now unambiguous — they’re demanding it.”
According to TSA, the most striking finding is the price, where vehicle owners nominated around $6 per tyre as a reasonable fee to guarantee their old tyres are managed responsibly. Many also reported already paying more, where the average was around $8 per tyre among those who know they were charged a disposal fee at their last replacement.
“Think about what this research is actually telling us. Households doing it tough are saying they’ll wear $6 a tyre to do the right thing, and in many cases are already handing over $8 at the counter. Meanwhile, the industry’s contribution is 25 cents a tyre, and barely half of importers bother to pay it. Once again, it’s consumers doing the heavy lifting,” Goodman said.
Gen Z respondents nominated $7.80 per tyre as reasonable and Millennials $7.33, well above Gen X ($5.40) and Baby Boomers ($5.46). Younger Australians are also the most likely to accept personal responsibility, with 86% of Gen Z agreeing that consumers have a role in ensuring proper disposal.
One in three vehicle owners believe used tyres are being illegally dumped, and 34% say they have personally seen or heard about dumped tyres in their community in the past 12 months. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 47%.
“Consumers have shown their hand: they’ll pay a fair fee, they want transparency at the counter, and nine in ten want national rules to guarantee the system works. The mandate for a mandatory scheme isn’t coming from industry or from advocates — it’s coming from the Australian public. Governments now have everything they need to act,” Goodman explained.
