Australian Certified Automotive Recycler

Export Ban on Used Tyres – May 2021

A national ban on the export of used tyres is set to come into effect by the end of 2021.

The National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019 brings many changes regarding what happens to our waste.

Glass, Plastic, Tyre, and other Recyclable Waste will be banned for export, beginning in July 2020 with the plan to be fully in effect by July 2022.

The plan is part of the Federal Government’s $190 million commitment to a new Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) which will create more than 10,000 jobs and divert over 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill.

It will also generate $600 million in Recycling investment, bringing about a billion dollar transformation of Australia’s waste and recycling capacity, according to the Minister for the Environment.

A consequence of forthcoming ban has been an increase in the costs of disposal of used tyres from $1.50 to $5 per tyre, or $17.50 per vehicle.

ARAA is concerned that this could give rise to higher rates of stockpiling and dumping of tyres by some of the rogue operators in the industry, and this has the potential to cast the whole industry in a bad light.