"pretence is that baled tyres are being sent to India and then shredded"
Millions of tyres exported from the UK to India for recycling are instead being burned in makeshift furnaces.
The process, known as pyrolysis, releases toxic chemicals, causing severe health risks and environmental damage.
The majority of exported UK tyres enter India’s black market.
Elliot Mason, owner of one of the UK’s largest tyre recycling plants, said:
“I don’t imagine there’s anybody in the industry that doesn’t know it’s happening.”
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) and campaigners claim the UK government is aware of these practices.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) insists it has strict regulations, including unlimited fines and prison sentences for illegal exports.
Drivers pay a recycling fee of £3-6 per tyre when replacing old ones.
This should ensure proper recycling at approved facilities like Mason’s Rubber World in Northampton. His plant has processed tyres into rubber crumbs for playgrounds and equestrian centres since 1996.
The UK generates 50 million waste tyres annually, with nearly half exported to India. Officially, they should be recycled at legal plants. Before shipment, tyres are compressed into “bales”.
Mason explained: “The pretence is that baled tyres are being sent to India and then shredded and granulated in a factory very similar to ours.”
The TRA estimates that 70% of imported tyres in India are burned in makeshift plants.
Pyrolysis involves heating tyres to 500°C in an oxygen-free environment, extracting oil, steel, and carbon black. The process is often conducted in unregulated, unsafe conditions, releasing dangerous chemicals.
According to a BBC investigation, GPS devices placed inside bales showed tyres being transported 800 miles inland to soot-covered compounds. Drone footage revealed thousands of tyres awaiting burning.
One company operating in the compound admitted to processing imported tyres but denied any wrongdoing.
There are up to 2,000 pyrolysis plants in India, with half operating illegally.
In Wada, near Mumbai, there was pollution, dead vegetation, and toxic waterways.
Villagers reported respiratory issues as one said:
“We want these companies moved from our village, otherwise we will not be able to breathe freely.”
Scientists at Imperial College London warn that long-term exposure to pyrolysis pollutants increases the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.
In January 2025, an explosion at a pyrolysis plant processing European tyres killed two women and two children. Authorities shut down seven similar plants after the incident.
Many UK firms export tyres to India because it is more profitable than domestic recycling. Mason refuses to do so, citing ethical concerns. Large operators face strict regulations, while smaller businesses use a T8 exemption to export tyres more easily.
A dealer admitted to exporting 250 tonnes of tyres in a single week—five times the permitted limit.
Another stated he knew tyres were burned in India despite paperwork suggesting legal recycling. When asked about the health risks, he said:
“These issues are international. Brother, we can’t do anything… I’m not a health minister.”
Defra says it is considering waste export reforms.
A spokesperson stated: “This government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy, moving to a future where we keep our resources in use for longer while protecting our natural environment.”
In 2021, Australia banned baled tyre exports after discovering they were not reaching their declared destinations.
Lina Goodman, CEO of Tyre Stewardship Australia, said:
“100% of the material was not going to the destinations that were on the paperwork.”
Georgia Elliott-Smith, founder of Fighting Dirty, called the UK’s tyre exports for pyrolysis a “massive unrecognised problem”.
She urged the government to classify waste tyres as “hazardous waste” to prevent further environmental harm.
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