Tackling the Tyre Waste Crisis: How EPR Is Curbing Illegal Dumping

Unpacking the Problem: Why Tyre Dumping Is Spiralling Out of Control

The issue of illegal tyre dumping is escalating across India, with an increasing number of discarded tyres ending up in vacant lots, riverbanks, and illegal landfills. This problem is especially pronounced in urban fringes and rural areas, where enforcement mechanisms are often weak. The sheer volume of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) generated annually — estimated at over 3 million tonnes — far outpaces the capacity of the country’s formal recycling and disposal infrastructure. As a result, many tyres fall through the cracks of an overburdened waste management system, feeding into the growing informal sector or being dumped outright.

Tyres are particularly difficult to manage because of their composition. Made from a mix of natural and synthetic rubber, carbon black, steel, and various chemical additives, they are built to be durable and resistant to degradation. This makes them environmentally persistent and challenging to process without specialized equipment. When tyres are abandoned in open areas, they pose long-term risks to human health and ecosystems. Yet, without adequate incentives, accountability, or awareness, improper disposal continues to be the default option for many stakeholders, including small-scale dealers, transport operators, and even municipal contractors.

A significant driver of the illegal dumping problem is the fragmented nature of the tyre waste supply chain. There are often no clear systems in place to collect tyres from consumers or enforce take-back responsibilities. Furthermore, tyres from the commercial sector—trucks, buses, and industrial vehicles—are frequently disposed of informally to avoid transportation and processing costs. In the absence of a robust collection and tracking mechanism, many used tyres simply vanish from the formal system.

The environmental consequences of such practices are severe. Accumulated tyres can trap rainwater, creating ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread diseases like dengue and chikungunya. Tyre fires, whether accidental or deliberate, are notoriously difficult to control and release a cocktail of toxic chemicals into the air. Leachates from weathered tyres can also contaminate nearby soil and water sources, impacting agriculture and wildlife.

• Tyres dumped in the open create health hazards and fire risks.
• Most dumped tyres are never tracked or recorded in official systems.
• Commercial sectors often bypass disposal rules to save costs.

Addressing this crisis requires more than just cleanup efforts—it demands a systemic transformation in how tyre waste is managed across its lifecycle. This is where regulatory mechanisms like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are being looked at as essential tools for change. By placing responsibility on producers and importers to ensure collection and recycling, EPR frameworks aim to plug the very gaps that allow illegal dumping to thrive in the first place.

India faces a growing challenge with illegal tyre dumping, especially in peri-urban and rural zones. As discarded tyres pile up in open landfills and riverbanks, the threat to public health and the environment is becoming increasingly serious. While formal recycling infrastructure is catching up, the gap is often filled by informal handlers and unregulated actors. In this context, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has emerged as a policy-backed framework to push for accountability and environmentally sound tyre waste management.

The Hidden Costs of Tyre Dumping: Health, Environment, and Livelihoods

While discarded tyres may seem like an eyesore or a nuisance, the true costs of illegal tyre dumping run much deeper. The environmental, health, and socio-economic consequences are far-reaching, often impacting the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems. The nature of tyre waste — bulky, durable, and chemically complex — makes it particularly harmful when mismanaged. Unlike organic waste, tyres do not biodegrade and can linger in the environment for centuries if not properly handled.

From a public health perspective, dumped tyres are breeding grounds for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and malaria. The hollow cavities of tyres collect rainwater, providing stagnant pools that are ideal for mosquito larvae to thrive. In urban and peri-urban settlements where waste management is inadequate, this significantly increases the risk of outbreaks. Moreover, large tyre stockpiles pose a serious fire hazard. Tyre fires can burn for days or even weeks, releasing dense black smoke filled with harmful pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter that contribute to respiratory illness and long-term health damage.

The environmental degradation caused by tyre dumping is equally concerning. As tyres break down over time, they release microplastics and chemical additives like zinc, lead, and cadmium into nearby soil and water systems. This leachate can contaminate groundwater, affect aquatic ecosystems, and reduce soil fertility, posing a threat to agriculture in rural areas. Wildlife can also suffer, with birds and animals getting trapped in dumped tyres or ingesting synthetic rubber particles through the food chain.

On the economic front, illegal tyre dumping undermines the efforts of the formal recycling sector. Informal dumping reduces the volume of tyres entering legitimate recycling streams, which in turn hampers business viability for authorized recyclers. It also displaces workers in the circular economy and leaves informal sector handlers exposed to dangerous, unregulated working conditions. Without the protections of a formal framework, these workers often use unsafe practices like open burning or crude mechanical processing, leading to serious health risks and environmental harm.

• Tyre fires release toxic pollutants and pose lasting health risks.
• Chemical leachates from tyres contaminate soil and groundwater.
• Illegal dumping disrupts the formal recycling economy and endangers workers.

The ripple effects of tyre dumping stretch far beyond waste accumulation. They affect air quality, water safety, public health, and livelihoods — often all at once. Recognizing these hidden costs is essential to building public support for regulatory measures like EPR and encouraging proactive participation from industry and citizens alike. A sustainable tyre waste solution must address these consequences head-on while enabling a transition to safer, regulated practices.

Tyres that are dumped illegally can remain intact for centuries, creating a persistent source of pollution. They act as breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, contribute to soil and water contamination through leachates, and are highly flammable — posing fire hazards that release toxic smoke. Moreover, this informal disposal system undercuts formal recycling businesses and threatens job creation in the circular economy sector.

Environmental degradation from unregulated tyre waste

Unregulated tyre waste poses a serious and often overlooked environmental hazard. When tyres are dumped in open spaces or landfills without proper containment, they begin to degrade slowly under the effects of sunlight, temperature changes, and water exposure. This gradual breakdown releases a variety of harmful substances into the environment, including microplastics, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants can leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater, contaminating local ecosystems and water supplies.

In particular, substances like zinc oxide, a key additive in tyre manufacturing, can be toxic to aquatic life even at low concentrations. Runoff from tyre dumpsites during the rainy season often carries these contaminants into nearby water bodies, affecting fish populations and biodiversity. Soil around illegal dump sites also suffers; it loses fertility due to chemical imbalances, which in turn harms local agriculture and food security. Unlike biodegradable materials, tyres persist in the environment for decades, and their impact is not limited to just the visible waste — the pollution they cause is long-lasting and difficult to reverse.

Additionally, many tyre dumping grounds eventually become fire hazards, either through accidental ignition or deliberate burning to reduce volume. These fires release large amounts of carbon monoxide, sulfur compounds, and black carbon — all contributors to air pollution and climate change. The cumulative environmental degradation from unregulated tyre waste underscores the need for strict monitoring, formal collection systems, and policies that close the loop on tyre lifecycle management.

When tyres are dumped in uncontrolled environments, their components — synthetic rubber, oil residues, heavy metals, and other chemicals — slowly leach into the soil and water systems. This contaminates groundwater and harms nearby ecosystems. Fires at tyre dumps also release carcinogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, and furans into the air, endangering human and animal life alike.

Impact on informal workers and recyclers

Informal recyclers often operate under unsafe conditions, handling tyres without protective equipment and using rudimentary methods like open burning. Without regulation or training, they are exposed to long-term health risks. Additionally, without integration into a formal system, these workers are excluded from the economic benefits and protections that a regulated EPR framework can provide.

How EPR Is Shifting the Tyre Waste Paradigm in India

India’s approach to managing tyre waste has undergone a significant transformation in recent years with the formal implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for waste tyres. Under the EPR framework introduced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), producers, importers, and brand owners are now legally obligated to ensure the environmentally sound collection, recycling, and disposal of end-of-life tyres (ELTs). This shift places responsibility for waste management back onto the entities that generate it, encouraging the development of circular, accountable waste systems.

The EPR mechanism works by assigning annual collection and recycling targets to producers, based on the volume of tyres they place in the market. These targets must be fulfilled either directly or through authorized Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), who help manage logistics, aggregation, and engagement with formal recyclers. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) oversees compliance, supported by digital monitoring tools that track tyre movement from sale to final processing.

This policy has been a game-changer in reducing the loopholes that once allowed large volumes of tyres to be dumped or mismanaged. With traceability and audit trails becoming central to compliance, the informal disposal of tyres is now more visible — and penalizable. EPR has not only elevated the role of formal recyclers but has also opened the door to infrastructure investments in tyre shredding, pyrolysis, and material recovery facilities. It encourages industry stakeholders to rethink product life cycles and create closed-loop systems that reduce dependence on virgin raw materials.

Moreover, EPR creates opportunities for job growth in the green economy. By legitimizing and scaling up formal collection and processing networks, it fosters stable employment and safer working conditions. Informal sector workers can be trained and absorbed into certified systems, ensuring both social and environmental gains. Financial penalties for non-compliance further reinforce the need for businesses to align with sustainability goals, driving innovation and accountability.

• Producers are accountable for post-consumer tyre collection and recycling.
• CPCB’s digital portal tracks tyre waste flows and ensures transparency.
• EPR supports infrastructure growth and safer job opportunities in the recycling sector.

As more producers begin to understand the operational and reputational benefits of compliance, EPR is set to play a key role in reshaping tyre waste management in India. The framework not only addresses the problem of illegal dumping but also paves the way for a more circular, economically viable future for the tyre industry.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) places the onus on tyre manufacturers, importers, and brand owners to ensure environmentally sound disposal and recycling of post-consumer tyres. By mandating traceability, collection targets, and partnerships with authorized recyclers, EPR aims to plug the regulatory gaps that enable illegal dumping to flourish. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) now closely monitors compliance through online portals and audits.

Tracking and traceability through digital tools

One of the most impactful elements of India’s EPR framework for waste tyres is the introduction of digital tools to ensure traceability and transparency throughout the tyre lifecycle. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has launched an online EPR portal where tyre producers, importers, and recyclers are required to register and report their activities. This digital registry allows for real-time monitoring of the quantities of tyres placed on the market, collected after end-of-life, and sent to authorized recyclers.

The use of digital reporting significantly reduces the chances of tyres being diverted to informal or illegal disposal channels. It creates a verifiable audit trail for every batch of tyres, helping regulators detect anomalies, underreporting, or ghost recycling claims. In addition to periodic compliance checks, the system can generate alerts for shortfalls in collection targets, ensuring that all stakeholders stay accountable. Future upgrades may include QR code-based tagging, GPS-enabled transport logs, and blockchain pilots to further tighten control over the tyre waste supply chain. These innovations not only improve compliance but also build trust between regulators, producers, and the public, forming the foundation for a sustainable and legally enforceable tyre waste management system.

With the EPR portal, entities must report quantities of tyres produced, collected, and recycled. This digitized approach enhances transparency and helps identify leaks in the supply chain. QR code-based tagging and blockchain pilots are also being explored to provide end-to-end visibility from sale to disposal.

Creating incentives for compliance and recycling

Producers are now encouraged to work with certified PROs (Producer Responsibility Organizations) and recyclers to meet their obligations. Non-compliance attracts penalties under the Environmental Protection Act, creating financial incentives to build responsible systems. Some tyre manufacturers are even investing in their own collection infrastructure or co-funding local recycling plants to stay ahead of regulatory scrutiny.

• EPR mandates collection and recycling targets for tyre producers
• Digital tracking reduces loopholes for illegal dumping
• Authorized partnerships strengthen the formal recycling ecosystem

Community and Industry Collaboration: A Key Pillar for Success

The success of any Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework depends not only on regulations but also on active participation from both the industry and local communities. While producers and recyclers play a central role in ensuring compliance and infrastructure development, meaningful engagement with municipalities, informal waste workers, and consumers is essential to make the tyre waste value chain truly functional and inclusive.

Industry players—such as tyre manufacturers, importers, and transport companies—have a unique opportunity to lead the transition to sustainable practices by supporting collection infrastructure, training programs, and awareness campaigns. Many have begun partnering with certified Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) to set up take-back points and ensure traceability. However, without grassroots participation and local implementation support, these systems often fall short in coverage and efficiency.

Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and rural panchayats are instrumental in enabling on-the-ground implementation of EPR rules. They can facilitate land allocation for collection centres, integrate local waste handlers into formal systems, and help monitor illegal dumping sites. Additionally, engaging the informal sector—especially those already involved in tyre collection and processing—is crucial. These workers often have deep networks and knowledge of local waste flows but operate without protection or incentives. EPR frameworks must include structured pathways for informal worker integration through training, certification, and access to safe equipment.

Consumer awareness also plays a significant role. Most vehicle owners—particularly in the private and small commercial segments—are unaware of proper disposal practices for worn-out tyres. Without widespread communication efforts and convenient drop-off options, many tyres end up discarded irresponsibly. Campaigns led by industry coalitions, NGOs, and local governments can help bridge this gap and normalize sustainable behaviours around tyre disposal.

• Manufacturers can co-invest in local collection and recycling infrastructure.
• Local governments can support monitoring and public awareness campaigns.
• Informal workers can be trained and absorbed into formal waste systems.

True progress in tyre waste management requires a shared commitment. When businesses, regulators, communities, and consumers align their efforts, EPR transforms from a compliance obligation into a collaborative force for environmental and social change. Establishing feedback loops between stakeholders and continuously improving on-the-ground implementation will be key to building a resilient and inclusive tyre waste ecosystem in India.

Effective enforcement of EPR rules requires synergy between industry, local authorities, and communities. Public awareness campaigns are crucial for educating consumers about tyre disposal options. At the same time, municipal bodies must collaborate with authorized recyclers to set up accessible collection points. By building trust and clarity around the system, stakeholders can prevent tyres from slipping into informal channels.

Empowering local bodies and frontline waste handlers

Urban local bodies (ULBs) have a significant role in licensing and monitoring local tyre handling practices. With support from the CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), these agencies are now being equipped with better data and guidelines to distinguish between compliant and non-compliant players. Additionally, involving informal workers in formal systems through training and certification can bring both compliance and dignity to the sector.

Steering Toward Safer Roads and Cleaner Landscapes

As India moves forward in tackling its tyre waste challenge, the road ahead is paved with both opportunity and responsibility. The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for waste tyres marks a crucial step toward a more accountable and environmentally conscious waste management system. However, to achieve real, lasting impact, this regulatory shift must be supported by long-term investments, policy enforcement, and public engagement at all levels of society.

Illegal tyre dumping has historically flourished due to weak monitoring, limited disposal options, and lack of awareness. But with EPR now bringing producers and importers into the fold, the burden is gradually being redistributed across the value chain. What’s needed next is a cohesive strategy to scale up infrastructure, integrate informal workers, and expand public participation. This transformation cannot rely solely on regulatory pressure—it must be driven by the collective will of stakeholders to envision cleaner landscapes and safer communities.

In the coming years, emerging technologies such as tyre-derived fuel (TDF), rubberised asphalt, and advanced pyrolysis can offer scalable recycling options. The government’s continued support for clean-tech innovation and green entrepreneurship will be key to unlocking the potential of these solutions. At the same time, educational programs, school-based campaigns, and community-level clean-up drives can instill lasting behavioural change and citizen ownership over environmental outcomes.

• Expand EPR enforcement capacity through better data and local coordination.
• Invest in tyre recycling innovations that close the loop on resource use.
• Foster environmental literacy to build public pressure against illegal dumping.

Steering India toward safer roads and cleaner landscapes requires more than just cleaning up after the fact. It demands a forward-thinking approach rooted in prevention, inclusivity, and system-wide collaboration. By embedding sustainability into policy, industry practices, and everyday choices, the country can set a global benchmark for responsible tyre waste management. The momentum is building—now it’s time to accelerate the journey.

Illegal tyre dumping is not just a waste issue — it’s a symptom of deeper systemic gaps in regulation, awareness, and infrastructure. With EPR policies gaining traction, India now has a powerful tool to hold producers accountable and build a transparent, circular system for tyre waste. The road ahead depends on cooperation across the value chain, consistent enforcement, and public engagement to make illegal dumping a thing of the past. It’s time for all stakeholders to come together and drive this change forward.