UK’s Hidden Waste Scandal: Millions of Tyres Shipped to India for Toxic Burning

Picture this that you drop off your worn-out car tyres at a local garage, pay a modest £3-6 fee, and feel reassured that they’ll be recycled responsibly. But what if those tyres secretly journey halfway across the globe to India, where they’re burned in makeshift furnaces, releasing harmful toxins into unsuspecting communities? That’s the startling revelation from a BBC File on 4 investigation launched in March 2025, shedding light on a profit-driven waste scandal with serious global repercussions.

The UK produces approximately 50 million waste tyres annually, totaling nearly 700,000 tonnes. Of these, about 25 million tyres equating to 350,000 tonnes, roughly the weight of the Empire State Building are baled and shipped overseas, predominantly to India. Far from being recycled safely, many end up in illegal pyrolysis plants, where they’re heated to 500°C to extract oil, steel, and carbon black, often in violation of local laws. The UK Environment Agency introduced enhanced verification checks for tyre exports to India from October 1, 2025, to address this issue.

The Everyday Start: From Your Garage to a Global Issue

It starts with a routine visit to your garage. That £3-6 disposal fee you pay when swapping out old tyres is intended to ensure they’re shredded and transformed into useful materials like rubber crumbs for playgrounds or horse arenas. Larger UK recyclers, such as Elliot Mason’s Rubber World in Northampton (in operation since 1996), uphold this standard, processing tyres locally with care.

However, for many smaller dealers, baling tyres into compact cubes offers a cheaper, quicker alternative to investing in shredding equipment. They leverage ‘T8 exemptions,’ which permit handling up to 40 tonnes weekly without stringent oversight. Yet, investigations reveal many exceed these limits, exporting hundreds of tonnes illegally. In Rochdale, a BBC undercover operation captured a dealer admitting, “They go to India… They do pyrolysis plant. They’re making furnace oil. They make carbons.” He noted weak oversight allows the practice and called it an ‘open secret’ in the industry.

The Secret Export: A 1,287-Kilometer Journey Unveiled

To trace this hidden trade, BBC File on 4 partnered with SourceMaterial and an industry insider in early 2025. They embedded GPS trackers in tyre bales, following an eight-week sea voyage to Indian ports, followed by a 1,287-kilometer trek (800 miles) inland to rural areas. Drone footage exposed vast stockpiles of UK and European tyres at soot-covered compounds clearly not licensed recycling centers.

These sites host pyrolysis plants, often unlicensed ‘pressure cookers’ that heat tyres to extract resources, releasing dangerous gases. Despite India’s 2016 Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules and a 2022 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy banning tyre imports for pyrolysis, an estimated 70% of tyres from the UK and beyond are diverted here, fueling a thriving black market. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) updated guidelines in January 2025 to curb this, but enforcement remains patchy.

The Human Cost: Soot, Explosions, and Silent Suffering

The reality on the ground is grim. BBC teams in India documented villages shrouded in soot, with carbon dust seeping into homes and children playing amidst toxic debris. Residents in Wada, near Mumbai, report persistent coughs, sore throats, and eye irritation, pleading, “We want these companies moved… otherwise we will not be able to breathe freely.” Imperial College London scientists warn of severe health risks like respiratory issues, heart disease, neurological damage, and cancers from prolonged exposure to pyrolysis emissions.

A tragic explosion in January 2025 at a Wada plant processing European tyres killed four, including two children living onsite, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Authorities shut down seven nearby plants, but follow-ups revealed some resumed operations. One contributor labeled India’s tyre disposal a ‘Wild West’ unregulated and perilous.

Why Does This Happen? Profit vs. Principle

The driving force is profit. Baling and exporting tyres sidesteps the expense of UK shredding facilities, while India’s demand for cheap oil and materials sustains illegal plants. Smaller UK dealers exploit T8 loopholes, while larger firms like Rubber World refuse to export due to traceability concerns.

India’s regulations are strict, pyrolysis from imports is prohibited but weak enforcement allows up to half of the country’s 2,000 pyrolysis plants to operate unlicensed. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) claims “rigorous controls” with fines and jail time, yet a July 2025 Environment Agency (EA) review admitted 89% of UK rubber waste goes to India, with diversion to pyrolysis ‘highly likely.’

Recent Developments: A Push for Change

Since the BBC’s exposé, action is brewing. The EA’s July 22, 2025, report spurred ‘enhanced verification checks’ for tyre exports to India, effective October 1, involving stricter paperwork and audits. Defra is exploring waste reforms, and the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) calls for an ‘After India’ plan. India’s August 21, 2025, parliamentary reply reaffirmed the pyrolysis ban, backed by EPR monitoring.

(Rh/Eth/VK)