Waste tyres are bulky, they do not break down, and they burn fiercely and for a long time when they catch light. All three facts shape the rules. A tyre fitter, a garage, a fleet operator or a farm that stores old tyres for months is holding something that regulators treat as a fire and pollution risk, not just an untidy corner. This guide explains how waste tyres are classified, what you can store without a permit, how exemptions work, what the paperwork looks like, and what to ask your collector. It is written for England and Wales, with notes where other nations differ.
How waste tyres are classified
End-of-life tyres are controlled waste, and in the great majority of cases they are non-hazardous. The usual entry in the List of Wastes is 16 01 03, end-of-life tyres. That means a standard waste transfer note applies when tyres change hands, not a hazardous waste consignment note. See EWC codes explained if you want to understand how the codes work.
There are a few caveats worth knowing about. Tyres still fitted to wheel rims have a metal element, and some operators describe them as mixed waste. Tyres removed from vehicles that are being dismantled are part of the end-of-life vehicle stream, which has its own treatment rules. And tyres contaminated with other substances, for example tyres taken out of a spill or from an incident, may need to be assessed before you describe them. If in doubt, describe what is actually in the load.
A tyre only becomes waste when its holder discards it, or intends or is required to. A tyre that is sold as a genuine part-worn tyre, within the safety rules, is a product. A tyre cut from a vehicle, left on a pile and written off, is waste. The distinction matters because it decides which regime you are in.
Why tyres cannot go to landfill
Whole tyres have been banned from landfill in the UK since 2003, and shredded tyres since 2006, under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 as amended. Those bans exist because tyres do not compact, they trap gases and rise through landfill cells, and they present a fire hazard.
The result is that waste tyres go to recovery. That includes use as a fuel (tyre-derived fuel in cement kilns and similar processes), granulation into rubber crumb for surfaces and products, use in civil engineering, and export for recycling, subject to the shipment of waste rules. Reuse and retreading are higher up the waste hierarchy and are used where the tyre is still sound.
The practical consequence for you is that your collector must send tyres to a site that is permitted to receive them. Ask where your tyres go. A reputable tyre collector can tell you the site and the permit, and the transfer note should name the receiving site.
Who needs a carrier registration
Tyre carriers are waste carriers, and the usual rules apply. A business that collects used tyres from garages and fitters is carrying other people's waste and needs an upper tier registration, covered in upper tier and lower tier registration.
Two cases cause confusion. First, a tyre fitter who removes old tyres from a customer's vehicle at the fitter's own premises is generally the producer of that waste once the tyres are taken off. Second, a mobile fitter who goes to customers and takes the old tyres away is carrying waste that arose at the customer's location, and should check whether a registration is needed. Take advice from the regulator if you are not sure. The wider rules are in who needs a waste carrier licence.
If you hire a collector, check them on the register before the first collection. The steps are in how to search the EA waste carrier register. Tyres are a common target for illegal operators, because the collection fee is paid up front and the tyres are expensive to dispose of properly. A collector who offers to take tyres for much less than the market rate, or for nothing, with no paperwork, is a warning sign.
Storing waste tyres
Storage is where most small tyre businesses get into trouble. Storing waste is itself a regulated activity. You need either an environmental permit, or a registered waste exemption, or a situation that falls outside the rules, such as holding your own waste at the place where it was produced for a short period pending collection. Which of these applies is a fact-specific question, and one for the regulator's current guidance.
The rules do not leave tyre storage unregulated just because the tyres are yours. In general terms:
- Quantity matters. Exemptions and the allowances for producers storing at their own premises are limited by quantity and by time. The figures are in the current Environment Agency guidance and are updated from time to time, so check gov.uk rather than relying on a number you saw somewhere else.
- Fire risk matters most. Tyre fires are among the most damaging waste fires. They produce heavy black smoke, they are hard to extinguish, and run-off from firefighting can pollute watercourses. The Environment Agency and fire services take particular interest in tyre storage, and permitted sites are expected to have a fire prevention plan.
- Layout matters. Stacks should be limited in size and kept apart from buildings, boundaries and other combustible materials. Leave access for fire appliances. Keep ignition sources away, including hot work, vehicles and electrics.
- Ground and drainage matter. Hard standing helps, and surface water drains near the storage area need protecting.
A good rule is to treat quantity limits as ceilings rather than targets. The more frequently tyres are collected, the less you store, and the lower the risk. A weekly or fortnightly collection from a fitting bay is much easier to defend than an annual clear-out.
Exemptions and permits for tyre activities
Beyond simple storage, some tyre-related activities can be carried out under registered waste exemptions, with conditions. Others need a full environmental permit. Whether an exemption is available depends on the activity, the quantity and the waste type, and the list of exemptions is revised. Our overview in waste exemptions explained covers how the system works, including registration, duration, conditions and site-specific limits.
In outline:
- Storage. Limited storage of waste tyres may be possible under an exemption, with quantity and time limits and conditions about containment and fire risk. Check the current exemption wording for tyres specifically.
- Treatment. Shredding, granulating, baling or other processing is a treatment activity. Larger operations need a permit. Some small-scale activities may fit an exemption, but only if the conditions are met in full.
- Use. Using tyres in construction or engineering works is a separate question, and the wrong approach can amount to unlawful disposal. Do not bury or fill with tyres without confirming that an exemption or permit covers it.
- Burning. Burning tyres in the open is an offence, and burning them in a waste oil burner, a stove or a boiler is not allowed. Disposal by fire needs a permitted facility.
Part-worn tyres and reuse
Many tyre businesses sell part-worn tyres. This is legitimate, but it is governed by product safety law as well as waste law. The Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994 set requirements for used tyres offered for sale, including that they must be in a safe condition, meet standards on damage and tread, and carry the mark "PART WORN". Check the current rules before trading.
Tyres that fail those standards are waste, and cannot be sold as part-worn. A business should sort tyres at the point of removal, record the decision, and send the rejects for recovery. Selling an unsafe tyre as part-worn is a safety offence, and describing waste as part-worn stock to avoid the waste rules is something inspectors look for.
Waste transfer notes for tyres
When you hand tyres to a collector, or deliver them to a processor, you need a waste transfer note. The note should cover:
- A plain description, such as end-of-life passenger car tyres, whole, or end-of-life lorry tyres, off rim
- The EWC code, usually 16 01 03
- The quantity, in weight, number of tyres or both, and the way it is measured
- The date and time, and the place of transfer
- The container type, for example loose, in cages, in bulk bags or baled
- Both parties' names and addresses, and the carrier's registration number
- The receiving site's permit or exemption reference, where the tyres are being delivered to a site
Regular collections of the same tyres from the same business can be covered by a season ticket for up to 12 months, as described in season tickets for waste transfers. For a busy fitter this is usually the sensible route. You still need to record the quantity of each collection, or reconcile them regularly against the collector's weighbridge tickets.
Keep the notes for at least two years, and see how long to keep waste transfer records for the full position. Create a note now with QWTN's free note creator.
Rims, wheels and the metal question
Tyres on steel or alloy wheels are a mixed load. The metal has a scrap value, and the wheel is often removed before the tyre is processed. If you sell wheels on, the licensing rules described in scrap metal dealer and collector licences explained may apply to the metal side of your business, depending on how you trade. Keep the tyre and metal streams separate, and describe each on its own note.
A working checklist
- Confirm what you hold is waste, and sort part-worn tyres that meet the safety rules from tyres that do not.
- Check your authority for storage: a permit, an exemption, or a lawful short-term allowance at your own premises.
- Check the current quantity limits on gov.uk, and keep your stock well below them.
- Store tyres away from buildings and ignition sources, on hard standing, with access for fire appliances.
- Use a registered carrier, check them on the register, and ask where the tyres go.
- Complete a waste transfer note or a season ticket for every collection, with code 16 01 03 and a clear quantity.
- Keep the notes for two years, and keep carrier checks with them.
Try it yourself
Create a one-off transfer note without an account.