Environmental campaign “Give Tyres a Second Life” is back in several cities this spring

  • 2023-03-21

The arrival of spring and warmer weather once again raises the age-old question car owners have to deal with this time of the year: what do you do with old tyres and what is the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of them? Every spring, residents have to face a significant problem – used tyres can still be seen on roadsides and in forests, causing damage to the surrounding environment. 

In order to encourage citizens’ responsibility and improve availability of the best way to dispose of used tyres, joint-stock company AJ Power Recycling in cooperation with companies 3R, Ķilupe, Vides Serviss, Kuldīgas Komunālie Pakalpojumi, Jēkabpils Pakalpojumi and Zemgales Eko has launched environmental campaign “Give Tyres a Second Life” that will run until April 30, offering residents to dispose of used tyres free of charge. 

Tyre recycling reduces negative impact on the environment and provides opportunity to reuse and recycle the material. Tyres collected for recycling can be turned into granules, which are used extensively in the production of sports field coverings, construction, road construction, manufacture of various pads, mats, and others. 

However, we can often see that motorists do not take advantage of all opportunities to dispose of tyres in an environmentally friendly way – only 28% of respondents in a recent survey said that they contacted their waste manager regarding waste management issues. This only means that motorists are still not fully aware of the possibilities to effectively dispose of used tyres. Therefore the free tyre collection campaign is one of the ways to encourage this part of society to dispose of tyres in an environmentally friendly way. Data from the 2022 campaign reveal that people are increasingly more interested in disposing of their old tyres when they are offered to hand over the tyres for free. Motorists handed in almost 5,000 used car tyres in the last year.

Tyre disposal fees is one of the main reasons motorists continue to avoid disposing of tyres in a responsible manner. 56% of car owners admitted that the fees affected their willingness to recycle tyres. On the average, one has to pay between EUR 2 and EUR 3.50 for disposal of one tyre. In addition, 68% of respondents admitted that easily accessible free drop-off points would encourage them to be more active in handing over used tyres for recycling. That is why waste managers offer motorists to hand over used tyres free of charge during the campaign at several facilities for handing over sorted waste in Lielvārde, Ogre, Skrīveri, Koknese, Bauska, Kuldīga, Jēkabpils and Jelgava.

During the campaign, one set of tyres (four passenger car tyres) will be accepted per car. Each car’s licence plate will be registered as it pulls into the facility for handing over sorted waste.

Used car tyres will be accepted free of charge at the following locations:

From 06.03.2023 until 06.04.2023. SIA Vides Serviss collection area for sorted waste at 8b Biržu Street in Bauska.

From 27.03.2023 until 01.04.2023. SIA Kuldīgas Komunālie Pakalpojumi collection area for sorted waste at 9 Dārzniecības Street in Kuldīga.

SIA Ķilupe facilities for collection of sorted waste:

- From 28.03.2023 until 01.04.2023. 2a Birzes Street in Skrīveri. 

- From 04.04.2023 until 08.04.2023. 1d Paugu Street in Koknese. 

- From 10.04.2023 until 16.04.2023. 43b Akmeņu Street in Ogre.

- From 18.03.2023 until 22.03.2023. 9c Dravnieku Street in Lielvārde.

From 01.04.2023 until 30.04.2023. SIA Jēkabpils Pakalpojumi collection area for sorted waste at 24/1 Zemgales Street in Jēkabpils.

From 06.04.2023 until 16.04.2023. Zemgales Eko collection area for sorted waste at 6 Paula Lejiņa Street in Jelgava.

Outside of these periods, car tyres can be handed over for a fee at collection areas for sorted waste and elsewhere. It is also possible to dispose of used lead and other batteries, oil filters and lubricating oils at these areas. A full list of such areas is available here: https://bit.ly/skirosanas-laukumi 

AJ Power Recycling recommends you to contact your car repair shop or regional waste manager to find out about opportunities for recycling of used car tyres.