Dynes Transport has teamed with Treadlite, a Christchurch tyre collection and recycling company, to support the government’s Tyrewise scheme to minimise the waste produced by used and end-of-life tyres.
Under the scheme, a stewardship fee had been placed on all new tyres since March, and from this month end-of-life tyres would no longer attract disposal fees.
Treadlite director Blake Richardson said garages had historically generated the majority of tyres in New Zealand, and the country accumulated nearly 7 million end-of-life tyres every year which could end up in farms, landfills and dumps.
Dynes had seen an opportunity to serve the tyre industry and retailers across Otago, and had joined forces with Treadlite — an accredited tyre collector under the scheme — to help with the disposal.
Mr Richardson said the tyre collection service around Central Otago and Southland had been "very patchy". Some customers were waiting months for their tyres to be collected with no guarantee they would be dealt with in a responsible way.
"We’re coming in to make sure that the tyres are dealt with locally and responsibly."
Dynes would manage the collection of tyres across Otago and handle much of the long-haul transportation throughout the South Island, he said.
The trucks would be driven by their cadets to pick up the tyres, which would then be processed into bales in either Dunedin or Christchurch.
Mr Richardson said the partnership with Dynes could reach up to potentially 160 garages as far as Timaru and Balclutha — collecting an estimated 190,000 tyres — and he hoped it would be a long-running partnership.
Treadlite was also refurbishing an existing processing plant in Christchurch.
Dynes Transport chief executive Matt Horan said the company was "super excited" by the partnership and it was really good to know end-of-life tyres were not going into landfill.
At least six of the company’s cadets would be driving the vehicles at a time which would give them learning opportunities and exposure to the responsibility of the work, he said.
