How should you dispose of used tyres in France?
They cannot – usually – be dropped off at tips
There are strict rules against disposing of tyres in nature
Yevhen Roshchyn/Shutterstock
Reader Question: How am I supposed to get rid of my old tyres when I get new ones on my car? My mechanic told me a new law means I can take them to my local déchetterie, but I thought this was illegal?
A 2003 European directive banned déchetteries, or tips, from collecting tyres to put in landfill.
While a 2023 decree sought to improve the environmental commitments of groups responsible for collecting old tyres in France, it did not change the rules on tips accepting tyres.
Déchetteries host some tyre collections
Your mechanic may have been referring to organised tyre collection drives at local tips.
Companies – often in partnership with local governments – will assemble collection sites and collect tyres from cars and motorbikes that have been de-treaded.
At certain times, these pop-up collection points rotate between certain tips in a given area.
Around 5% of all old tyres in France are collected this way according to recent data from the French government.
However, the most common way (82%) is to dispose of them by dropping them off at a garage, tyre distributor or car centre (see below).
Note that these are rules for general drivers – professionals who drive for their job (such as lorry drivers) may be able to drop tyres off at tips, depending on the facilities available locally.
Read more: What are French rules for children’s car seats?
How can you dispose of tyres in France?
Companies that produce and sell tyres are responsible for the disposal of old ones.
They must either collect the tyres themselves, allow them to be brought to an approved location by drivers (such as at their shops and garages), or delegate the practice to a government-approved body.
The collections organised at certain déchetteries are one of the ways companies manage tyre collection.
Garages and car centres are required to accept tyres free of charge (the cost of this is included in the sale price of new tyres).
If you want to drop your tyres off at a tyre shop, garage, or car centre, call them first to make sure they accept them, to save yourself a journey if they have no space or organise local collections.
Although tyres are not made of toxic chemicals, it is illegal to abandon them.
In addition to the general fly tipping rules, the French Environmental Code states that tyres “represent a danger to public health and to the environment in the event of fires (toxic gas emissions) or illegal dumping (as they can become havens for mosquitoes...).”
Read more: France wrestles with its fly-tipping, littering and plastics problem
