19 Aug 2025
‘Road to Reform’ paper addresses problems identified in recent UK Environment Agency review
London – The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) on 15 Aug published an action plan to remedy shortcomings identified in a recent UK Environment Agency (EA) review of waste tire exports (ERJ report).
In welcoming the EA report, the association had committed to working with the government to stop the illegal diversion of UK scrap tires “to damaging pyrolysis plants in countries like India.”
With its ‘Road to Reform’ plan, the TRA has now provided “a five-step action plan, using technology to strengthen existing powers and ensure the UK’s responsibility for waste tires does not stop at our national borders.”
“We need to see the EA respond to their review and the action promised... [to] bring an end to irresponsible waste exports and sustain our own tire reprocessing capabilities,” said TRA secretary general Peter Taylor OBE.
According to Taylor, the government agency "has the tools and the policy lead to make a real difference now.
"The technology exists and our industry stands ready to assist the British government in rolling out these measures to ensure compliance.”
The TRA’s reform plan sets five steps for enforcing responsible export of waste tires:
- Update technology, introduce mandatory geotagged evidence, enhance the verification process;
- Digital chain of custody: Implement some simple checks as a pre-cursor to digital waste tracking, with a verifiable chain of custody for all waste tire shipments;
- Cross-referencing, compliance and blacklisting: Using regulatory powers, with penalties for any party found to have submitted incomplete or fraudulent paperwork;
- Federated data and transparency: A central digital portal to provide the EA and its international partners with federated, live data feeds. This will improve transparency and allow regulators to monitor the movement of waste tire shipments more effectively and at a lower cost;
- Enforce site-specific rules: Actively enforce the existing policy that a pyrolysis plant cannot legally accept imported tires.
Enhanced verification, noted TRA, is crucial to prove that tires arrive at licensed and "environmentally sound managed" (ESM) recovery facility, rather than being diverted for illegal pyrolysis.
In parallel to these immediate steps for enhanced verification, the TRA believes the ultimate solution for long-term stability and environmental assurance is the introduction of a ‘shred only’ policy for waste tire exports.
“This policy, already adopted by Australia, provides a simple and effective means of addressing environmental concerns and ensuring a sustainable UK domestic processing capability,” said the association.
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