A new report has revealed that millions of used tyres from the UK are being sent to India every year for recycling, but they’re ending up in illegal “black furnaces” instead. These tyres, meant to be processed and recycled, are being burned in makeshift plants across India, posing serious health and environmental risks. The investigation was carried out by BBC.
Every year, the UK ships off around 25 million tyres to India, and shockingly, about 70% of them are being burned in unsafe, unregulated plants. The process, called pyrolysis, involves heating tyres in oxygen-free furnaces to extract small amounts of oil, carbon black, and steel. While this may sound like a way to recycle, the reality is far worse. The burning of tyres releases dangerous pollutants that can cause respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, neurological damage, and even cancer.
The tyres are sent to India with promises of recycling, as stated on official paperwork. UK drivers often pay a small recycling fee, around £3-6, when they change their tyres, believing their waste will be processed responsibly. Instead, much of it is diverted to the black market, where it ends up being “cooked” in these harmful makeshift furnaces.
In India, there are up to 2,000 pyrolysis plants, but only half are licensed. The rest operate illegally, releasing toxic fumes into the air and harming workers who are exposed to these pollutants daily. Even though the official paperwork promises that tyres will be sent to legitimate recycling plants, the reality is that they are often cooked in these unregulated facilities.
The tyres are compressed into huge bales before being shipped from the UK, which gives the illusion that they will be processed in proper factories. However, instead of being shredded and granulated as intended, they end up in these dangerous, high-temperature furnaces. The extreme conditions, with temperatures reaching around 500°C, break down the tyres into oil, carbon black, and steel, but they also release toxic gases that pollute the air.
The health risks for workers at these pyrolysis plants are severe. Experts from Imperial College London warned that exposure to these pollutants increases the risk of serious health conditions, including cancer, lung diseases, and neurological disorders. The entire process is a ticking time bomb for both human health and the environment.
The investigation has sparked outrage, with critics pointing out that what the UK calls “recycling” is, in reality, just exporting its waste problem to another country.
