Over 28,000 tyres of all shapes and sizes have been illegally dumped on public land across Auckland in less than two years, according to Auckland Council.
The most recent incident saw nearly 50 tyres discarded at the James Watson Reserve car park in the Auckland suburb of Clover Park.
Auckland Council told 1News "around 45 tyres were dumped in total" on May 15 and again on May 17.
"We have many examples where the sheer number of tyres dumped indicates the likely culprit is a commercial enterprise or business of some description," said Auckland Council's general manager of waste solutions Parul Sood.
Another incident of tyre dumping reported by the Herald this week saw a business owner remove over 1800 used tyres dumped outside his business in Onehunga on May 15.
Sood said the incidents highlight the need for the incoming national tyre recycling scheme, Tyrewise, which includes a free disposal service from September 1.
"It should deter people dumping or paying fly-by-night operators who then dump the tyres," she said.
Clover Park resident Leslee Garrick lives near the park. Her husband first spotted the tyres as he was heading to work on Wednesday morning.
She described her surprise at seeing "nearly 50 tyres left there," and said she had never seen anything like that at the park before.
"And that many... it has to be a good-sized truck to dump that many as well," said Garrick.
Garrick said she didn't think anything of the dumping in her neighbourhood until she read about the incident in Onehunga on the same night.
"If it had been any other day, I would have just contacted the council and got them removed.
"But that's like, the same night. I'm thinking that's 50 here, that's about a truck load. It just seems odd that's all."
Sood confirmed the council would remove the tyres from James Watson Reserve over the coming days.
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