Bonn, March 11, 2025 Spring is just around the corner and with it the time for changing tires: the winter tires are coming off and summer tires are being fitted. Workshops and tire dealers often also charge a disposal fee for the tires to be disposed of. But why does old tire disposal cost money at all? And what happens to the worn-out tires? The ZARE (Certified Old Tire Disposal) initiative explains in this interview why this fee is important and what sustainable recycling options there are.
Question: Why can't I just hand in my old tires for free?
ZARE: Old tires are not ordinary waste. They consist of a complex mixture of rubber, steel and textiles, which requires proper disposal. Since tires do not rot - their half-life is around 2000 years - they must be returned to the recycling cycle in a targeted manner. Certified disposal companies take over this process and ensure sustainable recycling. This involves effort and costs that can be covered by the disposal fee.
Question: What happens to my old tires after I hand them in?
ZARE: Each tire is first checked and sorted by hand. It is then subjected to the best possible recycling method - this can be reuse, retreading, material or chemical recycling.
Question: Why should I make sure that my tires are disposed of by certified disposal companies?
ZARE: Unfortunately, there are always illegal dumping of old tires in nature or improper disposal methods that pollute the environment. Certified disposal companies guarantee that the tires are properly recycled and remain in the raw material cycle. This prevents pollutants from entering the environment or valuable materials from remaining unused.
Question: Is the disposal fee fundamentally justified?
ZARE: Yes, because the fee for certified disposal ensures that the tires are disposed of sustainably and in accordance with the law. Workshops and tire dealers have to pay for the collection and recycling of the tires. Certified disposal includes transport, sorting and the best possible recycling - a complex process that incurs costs. In addition, certified disposal companies have committed to treating the tires sustainably in European recycling plants. Disposal in Europe, with correspondingly higher environmental standards, is associated with higher costs than cheap, often environmentally harmful and unsustainable disposal in non-European third countries. Ultimately, it is an investment in a clean environment and a sustainable circular economy.
Question: What can I do as a driver to ensure that my old tires are disposed of properly?
ZARE: Make sure that you only hand over your old tires to workshops or dealers who work with certified disposal companies. Ask how the disposal is organized. By choosing sustainable disposal, you are actively contributing to environmental protection.
You can find more information about certified waste tire disposal and our partners at: https://zertifizierte-altreifenentsorger.de
About the ZARE initiative
The ZARE initiative is an amalgamation of 18 companies organized in the Federal Association of Tire Trade and Vulcanizing Trades (BRV), 17 of which are certified waste management companies. The ZARE partners have set themselves the task of raising awareness of professional tire recycling in Germany. ZARE informs drivers about the environmentally friendly disposal of used tires. At 29 locations, the ZARE partners cover almost all of Germany and the Netherlands.
The partners of the initiative are:
Allgemeine Gummiwertstoff und Reifenhandels GmbH, Bender Reifen Recycling GmbH, Containertransporte Wesseler GmbH, CVS Reifen GmbH, Danninger OHG Spezialtransporte, Erwin Welzenbach Spedition GmbH, G & K Recycling Utsch GmbH, Hartung Speditions-, Handels- und Transport GmbH, HRV GmbH, KARGRO BV, KRAIBURG Austria GmbH & Co. KG, KURZ Karkassenhandel GmbH, Mondo Reifenmarkt GmbH, MRH Mülsener Rohstoff- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH, Reifen DRAWS GmbH, Reifen Külshammer, Reifengruppe Ruhr, REIFEN OKA – Reifenhandel
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Press release as Word document
Picture: Danninger_certified waste tire disposal
Caption: Certified waste tire disposal ensures that valuable raw materials remain in the cycle and the environment is protected.
Source: Danninger OHG Spezialtransporte
Source: ZARE initiative
