A new documentary by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), Tyred and Wasted: Australia’s Illegal Tyre Dumping Crisis, shows the scale of impact that rogue tyre operators who charge fees to dispose of used tyres have on household budgets at a time when Australians can least afford it
“Consumers are paying up to $50 a vehicle – and even more in regional Australia – to have their tyres disposed of responsibly. But in too many cases, that money goes straight into the pocket of a rogue operator who dumps the tyres in a national park, under a bridge, or on the side of the road,” said Lina Goodman, CEO of TSA. “Then, when the council has to send in a crew to clean it up, ratepayers pay again through their rates. In a cost-of-living crisis, Australians are being hit twice – and government inaction is allowing it to happen.”
TSA research found that local councils across Australia spent a conservative estimate of $6.5 million in 2022-23 cleaning up illegally dumped tyres. This translates to roughly 300,000 tyres at an average cost of $22 each, nearly triple the $7.60 average disposal fee. In practice, the overall cost to local councils is likely to be much higher. The burden falls hardest on outer-suburban and regional and remote councils, where illegal dumping is less likely to be detected.
Danny Gorog, a CEO of a community reporting app Snap Send Solve, explained: “Illegal tyre dumping is one of the most common issues reported by Australians through Snap Send Solve — our platform processes more than 1.8 million community reports every year, and tyres feature constantly, from roadside dumps to stockpiles in bushland. Australians are doing their part by reporting the problem, but ultimately it’s the ratepayer who foots the bill for the clean-up. Better data helps councils identify hotspots and respond faster, but data alone can’t fix a broken system — that requires government to step up and regulate.”
“Governments at every level know they have a problem,” says Goodman. “Victoria has just committed $21.5 million to tackle illegal dumping. Queensland has announced a $17.7 million Fighting Illegal Dumping Partnership to fund surveillance, compliance officers, and clean-ups for councils across the state. In Western Australia, tyres are the single most prolific illegally dumped waste item. And near Townsville right now, an estimated 1,000 tyres are sitting untouched in a ditch with a clean-up bill expected to top $100,000. That’s taxpayer money — millions of dollars — being spent on mopping up after criminals instead of funding the services communities actually need.”
Rogue operators represent themselves as legitimate tyre collectors or recyclers and approach tyre shops with offers to collect and dispose of their used tyres at a reduced rate. They look professional, but they have no intention of recycling. The tyres are dumped in national parks, bushland, under bridges, at residential addresses, and on roadsides. Some operators even sue stolen trucks to collect tyres. They abandon the vehicles once they are full and walk away with the cash.
According to Peter Jones, CEO of VACC: “These rogue disposal networks present themselves as reputable operators – they’ll charge a retailer to dispose of their tyres, then dump them on the side of the road or wherever it’s convenient. Our members are being punished for doing the right thing, losing business to operators with zero disposal costs because they’re dumping tyres illegally. For 11 years, small businesses and communities have been carrying the cost of government inaction — it’s time for a mandatory scheme that levels the playing field and gives law-abiding businesses a fair chance to compete.”
“Legitimate collectors and recyclers are losing up to 40% of their business to these rogue operators,” Goodman said. “They’re not just damaging the environment – they’re destroying the businesses that are actually doing the right thing.”
Dumped tyres deteriorate in the open air and represent a threat to contamination of the surrounding land and water. When they catch fire, which they often do, they burn hotter and longer than regular fires, while producing toxic smoke that threatens the surrounding communities and fuels bushfires in the surrounding bushland.
Illegally dumped tyres have cost taxpayers more than $100,000 at Isla Gorge National Park in Queensland because they require a crane to retrieve them. This also forced authorities to postpone planned hazard reduction burns, increasing bushfire risk for surrounding communities.
TSA has partnered with the citizen-reporting platform Snap Send Solve to develop a national picture of tyre-dumping hotspots. Daily reports are flooding in from every state and territory, reinforcing the fact that this is a systemic national problem and not a handful of isolated incidents.
“Every tyre dumped in a park or under a bridge is money out of a ratepayer’s pocket,” Goodman said. “We hear about these dumps constantly. Our partnership with Snap Send Solve shows that Australians are reporting the problem – they are doing their part. But no amount of citizen reporting can fix a system that lets criminals profit.”
“After 11 years of TSA operations, a voluntary scheme has taken us as far as it can,” Goodman said. “Rogue operators exploit the system because they can. A mandatory national product stewardship scheme is the only way to close the loopholes, level the playing field for legitimate businesses, and stop ratepayers footing the bill for waste crime.”
According to Goodman, mandatory tyre stewardship schemes are already delivering results internationally. “In New Zealand, one local council saw a 47% drop in illegal tyre dumping in just the first year of their mandatory scheme. In British Columbia, tyre dumping has been virtually eliminated. Australia is being left behind.”
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation and Science is now conducting an inquiry into the Australian tyre industry. Local councils across the country have made submissions detailing the financial impact of illegal tyre dumping on their communities.
“If we do nothing, rogue operators will continue to make money at the cost of our environment and the cost of our hip pocket,” Goodman said. “A well-structured mandatory scheme doesn’t just stop dumping – it supports advanced manufacturing, creates recycling jobs, and redirects millions back to the community services Australians actually need. And, if we look at the experience of mandatory schemes like New Zealand, consumers end up paying once and paying less.”
TSA urges consumers to choose a tyre retailer accredited by TSA to ensure their tyres are handled by legitimate collectors and recyclers, with the list available at www.mytyresmychoice.com.au. Illegal dumping can be reported through the Snap Send Solve app or directly to the local council.
Image source: Tyre Stewardship Australia
