The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has warned that the UK is “sleepwalking” into a used tyre crisis, with domestic processors squeezed by whole-tyre exports and weak enforcement. The trade body is urging rapid reforms following the Environment Agency’s internal review of waste tyre exports and Defra’s commitment to end the T8 exemption, arguing that action is needed now to protect UK jobs and used tyre recycling capacity.
The TRA says market pressures that shuttered several plastics recyclers could soon hit used tyre recycling, as whole tyres continue to leave the UK in large volumes. According to the association, as much as 1,000 tonnes of whole waste tyres are exported daily, often to uncontrolled processing overseas—undermining legitimate UK tyre processors and under-utilising domestic capacity.
“The recent news of major plastics recycling plants closing is a canary in the coal mine for the wider UK recycling industry… We are sleepwalking into a crisis where UK jobs and domestic capacity are sacrificed for the sake of cheap exports of our environmental problems,” said Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General, Tyre Recovery Association.
The Environment Agency’s internal review concluded that low-cost exports of waste pneumatic tyres are undermining recovery operations in the UK and constraining sector growth. The agency has committed to work with industry on reforms - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-environment-agencys-regulation-of-waste-pneumatic-tyres-and-their-export
Defra has confirmed the T8 exemption will be removed, ending a route that allowed mechanical treatment of end-of-life tyres without a full permit. The TRA welcomed the direction but is seeking clarity on timing and implementation details. Tyre News recently reported the confirmation while noting mixed messages on delivery.
Tyre News recently tracked the policy debate in Parliament and across the sector, including MPs’ calls to curb illegal waste tyre exports and support a domestic circular economy.
The TRA says its Road to Reform sets out five straightforward steps to tighten control of used tyre recycling and exports. Measures include:
The policy direction aligns with sustained sector pressure. As the industry’s joint calls for immediate regulatory action and tighter export controls, following media scrutiny of overseas processing impacts.
Stakeholders will revisit the timetable and enforcement detail at the TRA’s Forum Day on 16 September 2025, where a potential UK ban on whole-tyre exports will be debated alongside delivery of T8 reforms.
Tagged with: used tyre recycling, waste tyre exports, Tyre Recovery Association, Environment Agency, Defra, ELT regulation, T8 exemption, tyre processors, circular economy, UK recycling policy, enforcement, digital chain of custody
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
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