Unlicensed tyre collectors took $50,000 from Tasmanian businesses in 10 days

An unlicensed interstate tyre operation collected roughly 4,000 to 5,000 waste tyres from Tasmanian businesses and made about $50,000 in 10 days, the state's Environment Protection Authority has revealed.

The EPA says it has "disrupted an interstate waste tyre operation" that approached dealerships and mechanics while posing as legitimate controlled waste transporters. Investigators identified at least 30 instances of unlawful collection involving around 20 Tasmanian businesses.

The takings were fast. The EPA estimates the unlawful operators made approximately $50,000 across a 10-day window.

How did the scheme work?

The operation used rented vehicles, short-term shipping container leases and false credentials, according to the EPA. The bogus collectors presented themselves as transporters approved by both the EPA and Tyre Stewardship Australia, the industry body that accredits lawful tyre recovery.

The deception extended across state borders. Investigators uncovered a tyre network that had operated in various Australian states over recent years, using the same rented-vehicle and container-lease model to collect and abandon waste stock.

The EPA began its investigation last year after receiving reports that an unlicensed company was approaching businesses with claims of regulated-waste accreditation it did not hold.

In June, investigators located six shipping containers filled with waste tyres: four in Bridgewater and two in Launceston. The EPA estimates 4,000 to 5,000 tyres were collected and stored across the state before the operation was halted.

What enforcement followed?

The investigation resulted in enforcement action against one operator. The EPA also issued warning notices to retailers who, in its words, "should reasonably have recognised and acted on suspicious activity."

Evidence gathered by investigators includes alleged breaches of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Waste Management) Regulations 2020 and potential fraud offences. That combination — environmental regulation breaches alongside possible criminal fraud — points to prosecutions that could carry penalties beyond waste-law sanctions.

The EPA has not named the operator facing enforcement action, nor the retailers issued warnings.

Why does it matter beyond Tasmania?

The case highlights the gap between accredited tyre recovery and the unregulated collection that exploits it. Tyre Stewardship Australia accredits transporters and processors to keep end-of-life tyres within tracked recovery chains. Operators carrying forged credentials break that chain, leaving stockpiled tyres at risk of dumping, fire and liability for the businesses that handed them over.

EPA chief executive and director Catherine Murdoch said the investigation would assist other jurisdictions in tackling the unlawful activity.

"The EPA undertook its largest proactive industry-targeting exercise in response to organised environmental crime to date," Murdoch said.

"Waste crime can have significant financial and environmental consequences for local businesses and the wider community.

"This investigation shows how important it is to identify suspicious activity early and take action before it becomes more established."

What happens next?

The decisive milestones are legal, not operational. Outcomes under the 2020 waste management regulations and any fraud charges arising from the collected evidence will determine whether the enforcement action against the single operator deters the wider interstate network the EPA says it has uncovered.

For tyre dealers and mechanics, the warning notices set a compliance expectation: verify transporter accreditation before release of controlled waste. For regulators in other states, the EPA's findings now serve as a mapped template of the network's methods — rented fleets, short-term container leases, forged credentials — as Murdoch signaled cross-jurisdiction follow-up.