Environmental campaigners and the tyre recycling sector called for faster, clearer government action at today’s Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) conference in Warwickshire. In a keynote address, Georgia Elliott-Smith, CEO of campaign group Fighting Dirty, urged ministers and regulators to prioritise the TRA’s five-step Road to Reform and work with industry to deliver a genuine circular economy for British end-of-life tyres.
Elliott-Smith welcomed the TRA’s pragmatic roadmap and pressed for regulatory change that is enforced in practice, not only written in policy.
“There are real opportunities for UK tyre waste, but how can the industry progress? It is an unexpected but welcome marriage between the TRA and Fighting Dirty, but we are united in seeking a change to the rules currently in place around British end-of-life tyres,” she said. “We both agree that we have to see a stop to the talking and a start pulling the lever for change. Regulation, and its enforcement, are key to that.”
She also warned against “false solutions” that claim circularity while locking in new emissions.
“What does the Government actually mean by a circular economy? Regulatory reform needs to create new big industries that stop being transition solutions and become ends in themselves. Climate change is created by CO₂, we do not want new industries that are still able to produce yet more pollution.”
Fighting Dirty has used the courts to push for stronger oversight. Elliott-Smith explained that the group began legal action against the Environment Agency (EA) in February, which prompted the EA to acknowledge failures in understanding and regulating responsibilities.
“Enhanced verification procedures are a positive step in the right direction, but we wait to see that they deliver the promised change. Our legal action is only paused.”
TRA Secretary General Peter Taylor OBE said the conference drew the largest gathering of members and stakeholders this year, reflecting growing momentum for reform after comments by the Waste Minister in spring.
“There is a sense of possibility and optimism, but we still wait for that rhetoric to become a reality,” Taylor said. “Operational clarity for our members will come from the right decisions on regulatory reform being implemented. This must happen if we are to secure domestic capability and the long-term success of British used tyre processors.”
Taylor highlighted the gap between the UK’s circular economy ambition and current practice, and encouraged closer engagement with the EA and DEFRA.
“We again encourage them to invite industry through their door so we can help bring meaningful reform about. Partnership and cooperation is the quickest and most effective route down the road to reform that the Minister initiated nearly six months ago.”
The TRA’s annual event at the Ardencote Hotel reviewed progress over the past year and set priorities for the months ahead. Sessions focused on regulatory clarity, domestic processing capacity, and measures to stop malpractice that harms the environment and undermines compliant operators.
Elliott-Smith closed with a message on advocacy and accountability.
“We all have to be troublemakers, to be a nuisance for a cause.”
Tagged: TRA, End-of-Life Tyres, Recycling, Environment Agency, Circular Economy, Regulation
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
Sign up for our weekly briefing on key developments across the sector.
