UK parliament to debate export of used tires to India

London – The UK parliament is set to debate the export of end-of-life tires (ELTs) and the waste tire sector in the country, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) reported 25 April.

To be held on 29 April, the debate will examine issued raise by a BBC documentary about the environmental damage being caused by the burning of ELT exports in India, said the TRA.

IN 'The tire scandal' report, the BBC and Source Material examined the illegal export of UK waste tires to India and the environmental and human toll of unregulated pyrolysis plants.

“The programme’s findings unequivocally validate the TRA’s long-standing campaign for reform, in particular the end of the T8 exemption and a shred-only export protocol,” said the UK association.

Under the T8 waste exemption, businesses can treat small quantities of waste tires through processes like baling, shredding, peeling, shaving, or granulating without requiring a full environmental permit.

The exemption is primarily applicable in England with Scotland having ended the exemption in 2018.

Furthermore, the association has demanded that the government "introduce size restrictions on ELT waste" and end the exports of whole ELTs, as previously done by other states such as Australia.

The TRA called for a “robust regulatory reform” to ensure that ELTs are managed responsibly, and idle UK reprocessing capacity is used.

The debate is “a significant opportunity to hear the minister respond in person to the realities and challenges we have been highlighting for some time,” said Peter Taylor OBE, TRA secretary general.

“The evidence is now irrefutable; the current situation is unsustainable, environmentally damaging, and economically short-sighted,” he added.

Taylor voiced TRA’s preparedness to work with the government on the reform of current policies.