Tyre Disposal Cost in Australia

Old tyres need their own way out of the house. Kerbside bulk collections in cities such as Brisbane and Perth leave them behind, and the rubbish removal providers booked through Urgent Pro do not take them. In practice that leaves two places to go: your council or a tyre retailer. Each one sets its own charge, so the cost of getting rid of a tyre depends on where you live and who you ask.

This guide explains where old tyres can go, why there is no single national price, and what to ask before you load the car.

Why Rubbish Removal Providers Do Not Take Tyres

Booked rubbish removal for bulky household items covers general household rubbish, furniture, mattresses, white goods, e-waste, garden waste and estate clear-outs. Tyres sit on the short list of items providers will not take, along with asbestos, paints and solvents, gas bottles and pool chemicals. Each of those has its own disposal route, and for tyres the route is the council or a tyre retailer.

Urgent Pro’s rubbish removal warranty terms list tyres among the hazardous materials that need specialist handling where tyre disposal is regulated separately.

Nationally, Tyre Stewardship Australia runs the voluntary Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme. Its stated aim is to reduce the environmental, health and safety impacts of end-of-life tyres in Australia.

Why There Is No Single Price

There is no national rate for tyre disposal. Each council facility and each retailer sets its own charge, and some will not accept tyres at all. A price that applies in one suburb tells you little about the next council area over.

Before you take tyres anywhere, ask four questions:

• Do you accept tyres from households, and is there a limit on how many per visit?
• What do you charge per tyre?
• Does the charge change if the tyre is still on its rim, or for a 4WD or light-truck tyre?
• Do I need to book, or can I turn up?

The answers decide your cost. If a facility will not quote over the phone, ask where its fees are published.

Option One: A Tyre Retailer

When you buy new tyres, ask the retailer whether it will keep the old ones and whether disposal is already in the fitting quote. Get the answer before the job starts, so the old tyres are not left in your boot.

If you have old tyres and are not buying new ones, call ahead and ask whether the store accepts walk-in tyres and what it charges. The Find Services page on the Tyre Stewardship Australia website lists TSA accredited tyre retailers, which is a quick way to find one near you.

Option Two: Your Council

Councils handle tyres in different ways, so check your own council’s waste pages before you drive anywhere.

Some councils do not take tyres at their drop-off sites at all. Brisbane City Council lists tyres among the items its resource recovery centres do not accept, so Brisbane residents need a tyre retailer or another facility instead.

Kerbside bulk collections are no better in those two cities. Brisbane’s kerbside collection and Perth’s verge collections both exclude tyres, and the rules for each city’s hard rubbish collection list what else is left behind.

Can a Skip Bin Take Tyres?

Tyres are a restricted waste type for skip bins. Many operators will not take them in a general skip, and those that do may charge per tyre. If you are hiring a skip for other waste, tell the operator about any tyres before you book and read the hire terms for its list of banned items.

If tyres are only a small part of a larger clear-out, work out whether a skip or pickup costs less for the rest of the waste, then deal with the tyres on their own.

Clearing Tyres Alongside Other Rubbish

A garage or shed clear-out often turns up a few old tyres among furniture, boxes and garden waste. The simplest approach is to split the job:

1. Set the tyres aside, away from the pile for collection.
2. Book rubbish removal for everything else, and mention the tyres at booking so the provider knows they are staying.
3. Take the tyres to your council facility or a tyre retailer separately.

Rubbish removal starts from $220 and the price rises with load volume, access, item type and disposal cost. Your written quote confirms the price before the job. For how each service is priced, see the indicative prices for each service.

Keeping the tyres separate also avoids a common problem on the day: a provider arriving to find items in the pile that they cannot take, and the job being re-scoped on the spot.