A new facility in the heart of Western Australia’s iron ore mining industry has come up with a simple solution to the environmental disaster of oversized tyre waste.
Tyres are critical assets on mine sites.
Some of them are so huge they weigh more than an entire 4WD vehicle and cost up to $60,000 each.
Tyres are a critical, expensive asset on mine sites. (ABC News: Michelle Stanley)
Their scale makes recycling difficult and costly, with almost 95 per cent of mining tyres eventually buried in the ground.
The practice of burying old mining tyres is not against national environmental regulation.
There are hopes that changes to environmental regulations across the country will pressure miners to recycle more.
A simple solution
Almost half, 49 per cent, of all mining tyres in Australia are in Western Australia’s Pilbara, according to a report by Tyre Stewardship Australia.
Pilbara is ranked as the largest mining precinct in the country in terms of earth displacement, meaning companies rely on open-cut mining vehicles.
The Port Hedland recycling facility is the first of its kind. (ABC Pilbara: Kimberley Putland)
That was why Tyrecycle opened the first dedicated off-road mining tyre recycling facility in Port Hedland, 1,630 kilometres north of Perth, at the heart of the region.
Old, worn-out mining tyres are sent to the facility where they are processed using a specialist “T-rex” machine imported from Italy.
The tyres are broken down into smaller chunks of rubber. (ABC Pilbara: Georgia Hargreaves)
The smaller chunks of rubber are sent to Perth for further processing, eventually given a second life as things like road base, playgrounds or surfaces of athletics tracks.
Tyrecycle’s head of mining, trading and strategic development, Ashley Battilana, said it was challenging to dispose of mining tyres because of their weight and size.
Ashley Battilana hopes mining companies will recycle more tyres. (ABC Pilbara: Kimberley Putland)
“Up until now most mining tyres are being buried on site in pit burial methods, which is completely legal,”
she said.
“They’re completely licensed to do it.
“But now with this new facility, the option is there and we’re here to support the mining companies on this journey.”
Worn conveyer belts made from rubber are difficult to recycle because they are long and heavy. (ABC Pilbara: Kimberley Putland)
The facility, which has been open since the end of 2024, has prevented 1,500 tonnes from being buried.
Mr Battilana said with a growing interest from miners in the region, there was plenty of room for expansion.
“What we would like to have over the next three years is putting in another plant here so we can double our capacity,” he said.
Burying tyres ‘no longer good enough’
There have been limited alternatives for tyre disposal which made economic sense for businesses.
Tyre Stewardship Australia, a group that promotes the development of markets for used tyres, released a report that found less than 5 per cent of old mining tyres in Australia were recycled.
It said more than 100,000 tonnes of mining tyre waste was buried in the ground each year.
Lina Goodman says there should be fewer tyres buried in Australia. (Supplied)
CEO Lina Goodman said burying mining tyres was “no longer good enough”.
“The frustrating part around mining tyres being buried in a pit — it’s out of sight, out of mind,”
she said.
“We’ve got infrastructure and recyclers who have invested to meet the needs to create products and it’s just not being met by the other parties.”
Ms Goodman said federal government intervention was needed to encourage the industry to adopt alternatives.
“Governments need to change their permissions for mining companies and remove it so that [tyres] are no longer allowed to be buried,” she said.
The oversized tyres (in tonnes) generated in each region annually by mining and agriculture. (Supplied: Tyre Stewardship Australia)
A Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesperson said it supported the Port Hedland facility through its Recycling Modernisation Fund.
The spokesperson said the government would continue to work with states and territories on effective options to improve tyre recycling rates.
Environment Minister Murray Watt’s office said the government was committed to doubling its circularity for end-of-life tyres by 2035.