Waste Management announces significant investment to manage tyre waste in New Zealand

Waste Management was pleased to join Minister for the Environment, Hon Dr Nick Smith, along with representatives from Golden Bay Cement yesterday, to announce a significant step forward in addressing a critical environmental problem by better managing and re-using end-of-life tyres in New Zealand.

Following the acquisition of New Zealand’s largest tyre recycling business last year, Waste Management has been working with Golden Bay Cement and the Government to create a local solution for the re-use of end-of-life tyres through supply of tyre derived fuel.

Mike McSaveney, Waste Management General Manager Upper North Island said further investment in new tyre shredding technology, which was supported with funding from the Ministry for the Environment, will result in such a solution.

“Waste Management saw the potential for expanding a solution to one of New Zealand’s critical environmental problems through our investment in tyre recycling last year.

“We are now pleased to see our further investment, combined with Government support, has resulted in a New Zealand-based solution for the re-use of end-of-life tyres.

“By working together with Golden Bay Cement, we are turning waste into energy through the supply of tyre derived fuel,” said Mr McSaveney.

Waste Management will use its extensive network to collect end-of-life tyres from across New Zealand. With the support of a Ministry for Environment grant, Waste Management has purchased new leading technology tyre processing equipment from the United States, which will expand processing capacity in Auckland by 250 per cent and enable the installation of new capacity in Christchurch.

“Waste Management is New Zealand’s largest waste and environmental services company. With more than 800 trucks and over 70 facilities, we saw an opportunity to improve and invest in a national solution to turn tyre waste into energy, helping to solve the national problem of illegal dumping of tyres.

“By the end of this year we will have processing facilities in the North Island, with the South Island to follow. This will significantly improve our capacity to remove end-of-life tyres from our environment and turn them into useful fuel. We are very pleased that Golden Bay Cement will be one of the companies able to use this product here in New Zealand,” said Mr McSaveney.

Waste Management’s shredders will be operational in Auckland by October this year, with shredding capacity of 30,000 tonnes per annum (approximately 3 million car tyres) each year and providing fuel for the manufacture of cement at Golden Bay Cement. Our South Island facility will be operational in early 2018.