Tyres from cars and bikes should never be put in your household recycling bin. They can be recycled, but only when dropped off at designated collection points or through an accredited Tyre Stewardship Australia mechanic, retailer, or dealership when you’re having your old tyres replaced with new ones.
Use the directory on this page to find a recycler or community centre in your area that accepts spare tyres.
Call in advance to make sure they are accepted.
When changing the tyres on your vehicle, to ensure the old ones are managed responsibly, you need to make sure your mechanic, retailer or dealership is accredited through Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA).
Use TSA’s directory of tyre retailers to find businesses that are accredited through the stewardship scheme.
You can also use TSA’s directory of tyre recyclers and collectors to find accredited businesses that recycle tyres.
Each year in Australia the equivalent of 67 million passenger tyres reach their end of life. Putting old tyres in landfill is unsustainable, so we must find new ways to reuse, repurpose, and recycle the materials.
While most tyre retailers are doing the right thing, 20% of old automotive tyres are dumped, buried, stockpiled, sent to landfill, or hidden in warehouses, on industrial sites, unsuspecting landowners' properties, and even national parks. Dumping used tyres illegally or in landfill is a waste of resources. Tyres must be managed responsibly, as they are a highly flammable material that can pose a risk to the community and surrounding environment.
By recycling your tyres through TSA accredited businesses, you can help support more sustainable outcomes, through:
Source: Tyre Stewardship Australia
Used tyres have proven to be a valuable resource through reuse, recycling, and waste-to-energy solutions. They can be recycled in multiple ways including shredding the tyres into smaller pieces of shred or crumb. The recovered materials can then be used in new products, providing flexible, durable, or noise-reducing qualities.
When you choose a TSA accredited tyre retailer, mechanic, or dealership, the tyres will be collected by a trusted and accredited tyre collector/recycler.
Recycled tyres are used in a range of innovative applications. Once processed, they can be transformed into:
Image of new roads paved with road base containing tyres in Logan city Council. Image credit: Tyre Stewardship Australia
Australia's Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme, administered by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), is a government-accredited, industry-led and voluntary scheme that aims to:
TSA has supported over 70 market development projects with more than $10 million in funding since 2014, helping turn Australia's used tyres into real-world solutions.
You can use your purchasing power to support retailers and manufacturers that are taking responsibility for their products and supporting better outcomes. When it’s time to change the tyres on your vehicle, choose brands that contribute to the stewardship scheme. Search Tyre Stewardship Australia’s MyTyres MyChoice directory to find tyre and auto brands that contribute 25c per equivalent passenger tyre to Australia’s product stewardship scheme.
If you are using a tyre retailer that you think is doing the right thing but isn’t accredited, encourage them to contact Tyre Stewardship Australia. The scheme is free for retailers to join.
Image credit: Tyre Stewardship Australia
If your business or organisation has large quantities of used tyres, find a recycler in your area by visiting the page for passenger car tyres page for businesses.
Used car batteries and other lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste and should be disposed of responsibly through recycling programs. Lead-acid batteries should never be put in your recycling or garbage bin at home.
Car recycling is one of the oldest forms of recycling. Ever since cars were invented, companies have existed to salvage the metal and spare parts in dead cars. Car parts must be taken to or picked up by a recycler.
Used motor oil, or 'sump oil', should not be put in your recycling or garbage bins at home because it is a hazardous waste item. Used oil should be taken to a designated collection point so it can be cleaned and reused.
