TRA Urges UK Tire Export and Recycling Reforms

The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) is pushing for significant reforms to the UK’s end-of-life tire (ELT) regulations, citing an estimated 150 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of dormant domestic processing capacity. Currently, the UK exports approximately 1 kilotonne of whole waste tires daily, totaling nearly 400 kilotonnes annually. At a TRA briefing day in Warwickshire, UK Member of Parliament Tessa Munt advocated for measures to boost domestic ELT processing. She highlighted that while 1,000 tonnes of raw waste are exported daily, over 150,000 tonnes of licensed UK recycling and remanufacturing capacity remain idle, despite being “already built, already permitted, already paid for.” Munt proposed four key reforms, including the implementation of a “shred-only” export rule, similar to Australian regulations, to curb the export of whole and baled waste tires. She also called for the revocation of special [T8] waste exemptions and the introduction of more robust digital proof-of-arrival requirements for exported tires. The [T8] exemption allows businesses to process small quantities of waste tires through methods like baling, shredding, peeling, shaving, or granulating without needing a full environmental permit. Munt suggested that export licenses for brokers failing to provide “timestamped, geotagged proof of delivery to accredited facilities” should be immediately revoked. For the domestic market, she proposed mandatory public procurement policies to increase the use of retreaded tires and rubberized asphalt. The briefing also revealed that a 10% rubberized asphalt target for public highway contracts could fully utilize the UK’s idle crumb-rubber capacity. This type of asphalt could also reduce road traffic noise by 3-5dB and enhance road surface durability. TRA secretary general Peter Taylor stated that the British tire recovery sector is unified, innovative, and poised for growth, possessing the necessary domestic processing infrastructure, technical expertise, and private capital to establish a circular economy. He emphasized the need for further regulatory changes, particularly concerning whole-tire exports and public procurement, to support domestic processing. The event convened approximately 100 representatives from the tire recovery, retreading, distribution, and manufacturing sectors, including delegates from the TRA, National Tyre Distributors Association, British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, and Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association.