What happens to waste tyres in the UK
Whole tyres have been banned from UK landfill since 2003 and shredded tyres since 2006, which means every tyre leaving a garage has to go somewhere that costs money.
The landfill ban
The Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 removed landfill as a disposal route for tyres in two stages: whole tyres from July 2003, and shredded tyres from July 2006. Equivalent restrictions apply across the UK.
Because disposal has a real cost, there is a standing commercial incentive to collect tyres cheaply and then not pay that cost. That is the mechanism behind most waste tyre fly-tipping and abandoned-site cases, and it is why the identity of the collector matters more here than the price does.
Where tyres legitimately go
Part-worn resale, retreading, granulation into rubber crumb for surfaces and moulded products, and use as a fuel in cement kilns are the main lawful destinations. Each of these needs a permitted or exempt site at the receiving end.
A collector who takes tyres away for a price well below the market cost of processing them is, by arithmetic, either subsidising the collection from elsewhere or not processing them.
What you can check
You can check that the carrier is registered and that the registration has not expired, and you can keep a transfer note that records the number. Those are the parts of the chain visible to a waste producer.
Where the tyres finally end up is recorded further down the chain, on the permits of the receiving site rather than on the carrier's registration.
Where to go next
Sources
- Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002
- Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers
- Waste duty of care: code of practice (GOV.UK)
Last reviewed 12 September 2026. Every link above was checked on that date.