A BBC investigation has uncovered that millions of tyres exported from the UK to India for recycling are instead being illegally burned in makeshift furnaces, creating serious environmental and health risks.
The UK sends around 50 million waste tyres—nearly 700,000 tonnes—a year for recycling, with half shipped to India.
But according to the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), around 70% of these end up in illegal pyrolysis plants, where they are “cooked” to extract crude oil, carbon black and scrap steel.
BBC File on 4 tracked UK tyre shipments fitted with hidden trackers. Instead of reaching legitimate recycling centres, they were driven 800 miles across India to clusters of factories where thick black smoke billowed from unregulated furnaces.
Drone footage from India, shared with the BBC, shows thousands of tyres stacked high before being thrown into these burning chambers.
The process releases toxic fumes that contaminate the air, soil and water, exposing workers and local communities to severe health hazards.
Industry insiders say the UK is one of the worst offenders when it comes to exporting tyres into this dangerous black market.
Elliot Mason, owner of one of the UK’s largest tyre recycling plants, said: “I don’t imagine there’s anybody in the industry that doesn’t know it’s happening.”
Garages in the UK charge drivers a recycling fee—typically £3-6 per tyre—when they replace old tyres.
This should guarantee proper recycling, either domestically or abroad. But the reality is that many of these tyres never reach legitimate recycling facilities.
Before export, tyres are compressed into massive rubber bales, with official paperwork declaring them destined for regulated recycling plants in India.
Instead, they are diverted to unlicensed pyrolysis sites where they are burned with no environmental controls.
The Indian government has licensed some pyrolysis plants but an environmental lawyer in India told the BBC that up to 2,000 of these facilities exist, with around half operating illegally.
The UK government insists there are strict rules in place.
Defra said: “This government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy, moving to a future where we keep our resources in use for longer while protecting our natural environment.”
Officials say reforms are being considered to tighten regulations and prevent waste crime.
But with the scale of illegal tyre burning now exposed, campaigners say action is urgently needed to stop UK tyres fuelling India’s toxic fires.
