The UK’s leading trade tyre bodies have come together to call for immediate government action to address environmental concerns exposed by the BBC’s File on 4 investigation into the export of British end-of-life tyres (ELTs) to India, The Tyre Scandal.
The joint appeal for reform reflects the urgency of the challenges faced by UK’s responsible tyre industry operators and underscores the industry’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges of tyre waste. Current environmental waste regulations in the UK were exposed as inadequate in the BBC File on 4 programme. Rather than protecting the environment, out of date and unenforceable UK waste tyre regulations enable less scrupulous tyre operators to export waste and pollution abroad.
At the end of July, the Secretary of State recognised the need to enhance environmental waste tyre regulations to prevent the export of waste and pollution abroad when he announced a rapid review of the EIP. However, instead of unblocking the waste tyre policy process the review appears to have stalled the implementation of reforms Industry leaders have long been calling for.
The independent expose demonstrates the pressing need to enact reforms already approved by government, such as ending the T8 exemption.
Industry figures, previously shared with the Secretary of State and departmental officials, show more than 300,000 tons of UK end-of-life tyre are exported per annum, while there is at least 150,000 tons of idle domestic processing capacity available in the UK.
Leaders in the UK’s tyre industry trade bodies are united in their strong recommendation to implement rules that have been delayed:
· Ending T8 exemptions, which have seen progress in Scotland since 2018.
· Ending exports of whole end-of-life car tyres (ELTs), a measure successfully implemented by Australia to address environmental concerns and bolster domestic capability.
Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), said:
“Response to the programmes shows that the British public are rightly horrified to learn how likely it is their car tyres end up in highly polluting pyrolysis plants in India. I congratulate on the BBC for exposing the reality of the environmental damage caused by UK whole-tyre exports. The TRA has been campaigning on this issue for years and again call on Minister to initiate the simple policy reform that can stop this immediately. End T8 exemption and ban the export of whole end-of-life tyres.”
Stefan Hay from the National Tyre Distributors’ Association (NTDA), said:
“File on 4 made explicit the damage caused by UK environmental waste, baled tyres, exported to India. UK road users do not expect their used tyres to contribute to pollution overseas. We urge our political leaders to support necessary policy reforms, which are essential not only to mitigating environmental harm but also to enhance Britain’s own recovery capabilities.”
Alfred Graham from the Imported Tyre Manufactures Association (ITMA), said:
“Our industry representatives across the UK have long been advocating for government action. In today’s world, it is vital to address the environmental impact caused by outdated regulations, which also hinder our domestic growth. We hope that the awareness raised by this programme will encourage our government to lead the necessary regulatory reforms. Together, we can work towards a sustainable future.”
Source: Tyretradenews
