Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to require that used tyres be processed sustainably in the UK under the principles of the circular economy instead of being exported to developing countries.

Used tyres have a range of applications in the UK, including for reuse as part-worn tyres, various recycling routes including commercial tyre retreading and the use of granulated tyres in sports and safety surfaces and for recovery, where tyres are used as a fuel in cement kilns. Export is also a feature of the used tyre market. For example, my officials are pursuing with the Indian authorities questions related to the environmentally sound movement and subsequent treatment of tyres there.

Under the Government’s 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy we identified a number of waste streams, including used tyres, as candidates on which to consult for future producer responsibility approaches. We will consider circular economy principles in the design of schemes that result from that.