Extended Producer Responsibility for Tyres: How EPR Schemes Work

By:     Conor Murphy

What Extended Producer Responsibility Means for Tyres

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that makes the producers and importers of products financially and operationally responsible for what happens to those products at the end of their useful lives. The underlying principle is that if producers bear the cost of end-of-life management, they have an incentive to design products that are easier and cheaper to recycle or recover, and to fund the infrastructure needed to manage the waste they create.

For tyres, EPR takes the principle that tyre manufacturers and importers should fund the collection, processing, and recycling of used tyres, not leave the cost to tyre retailers, vehicle operators, or taxpayers. EPR schemes for tyres vary in design and implementation across different jurisdictions, but share the common feature of requiring producers and importers to either organise or fund end-of-life management for a quantity of tyres proportional to the quantities they place on the market.

Understanding how EPR schemes work matters for several groups: tyre manufacturers and importers who bear EPR obligations, tyre retailers who interact with EPR-funded collection schemes, tyre recyclers who receive funding or benefit from EPR-driven tyre streams, and policymakers and industry bodies developing EPR frameworks. For businesses with Gradeall tyre processing equipment, EPR scheme changes can affect the volume and composition of tyre streams they receive and the economics of their processing operations.

Gradeall International manufactures tyre processing equipment from Dungannon, Northern Ireland for operations across the UK, Ireland, and over 100 countries. The tyre recycling equipment range including the MKII tyre baler and associated processing equipment enables the recycling infrastructure that EPR schemes fund and depend on. With nearly 40 years of manufacturing experience, Gradeall’s team has direct experience of how different EPR frameworks affect tyre recycling operations in different markets.

The UK Tyre EPR Landscape

The UK does not currently have a mandatory statutory EPR scheme specifically for tyres comparable to the packaging EPR scheme under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. The UK tyre industry has historically managed used tyre collections through industry-led voluntary arrangements and through the commercial tyre collection and recycling market.

The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA). The TRA represents UK tyre recyclers and processors and has been involved in developing industry approaches to tyre waste management. The TRA provides guidance on duty of care compliance and works with industry on sustainable tyre management approaches.

Industry voluntary commitments. UK tyre manufacturers and importers have made various voluntary commitments on tyre sustainability, including recycled material content targets and support for tyre collection infrastructure. These voluntary commitments fall short of a mandatory EPR scheme but reflect industry recognition that producer responsibility for tyre end-of-life management is increasingly expected.

Post-Brexit regulatory divergence. Before Brexit, UK tyre waste policy was aligned with the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive and waste framework directives. Post-Brexit, the UK and EU are developing independently. The EU is advancing more prescriptive EPR requirements for tyres as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan; the UK government is separately reviewing producer responsibility for tyres as part of its waste reform programme. The precise form of any future UK tyre EPR scheme is not yet legislated, but the direction of travel toward more explicit producer responsibility is clear.

How EPR Schemes for Tyres Work in Practice: International Models

Several countries have implemented EPR schemes for tyres that provide models for how mandatory schemes function in practice.

France: Aliapur. France operates one of Europe’s most developed tyre EPR schemes. Tyre producers and importers are required to join an approved producer responsibility organisation (PRO). Aliapur is the dominant PRO in France. PROs collect fees from producers proportional to the quantity of tyres they place on the market. The fees fund collection networks from tyre retailers and garages, and payments to tyre recyclers for processing the collected tyres. The scheme achieves very high used tyre collection rates and has driven significant investment in tyre recycling infrastructure in France.

Germany: Landbell. Germany’s approach involves producer registration and reporting requirements, with compliance schemes organising collection and recycling. German tyre EPR has supported the development of a robust tyre recycling industry with diverse processing routes.

Canada: Provincial EPR programmes. Canadian provinces operate individual EPR programmes for used tyres. Most provincial programmes require tyre retailers to collect a visible environmental handling fee at the point of sale, which funds collection and recycling. The provincial PROs organise collection from retailers and contract with recyclers for processing. Canadian provincial programmes vary in their specific requirements and the recycling targets they impose.

Common features of EPR schemes. Across these international models, several common features emerge: producer registration and reporting of quantities placed on the market; financial contributions proportional to market quantities; PRO organisation of collection from retail points; payment of gate fees to recyclers for processing; recycling rate targets that must be met; and reporting and verification requirements. The specific design varies, but these elements appear in most effective EPR schemes.

What EPR Means for Tyre Retailers

Tyre retailers are at the practical interface between EPR obligations and the consumer. In most EPR scheme designs, the retailer is the collection point for used tyres removed from vehicles; EPR funding flows through the system to support the cost of collecting from these points and processing the collected tyres.

For tyre retailers, EPR schemes typically mean:

Acceptance of used tyres. Retailers in EPR-regulated markets are usually required or strongly incentivised to accept used tyres from customers at the point of fitting new tyres. The EPR funding structure supports the cost of this acceptance without passing the full cost to the retailer.

Collection contract with an approved scheme. Retailers must arrange collection of their used tyre accumulation through a scheme-approved collector, ensuring the tyres enter the EPR-funded processing chain rather than informal or non-compliant disposal routes.

Documentation. EPR schemes require documentation of the quantities accepted, collected, and dispatched, supporting the scheme’s overall reporting on tyre flows.

For tyre retailers generating significant tyre volumes, the economics of EPR-funded collection versus self-processing with on-site baling equipment is a commercial decision worth making explicitly. EPR-funded collection pays for the disposal cost; on-site baling equipment converts the tyres into a saleable product. At high enough volumes, the economics of self-processing may exceed the benefit of EPR-funded collection.

What EPR Means for Tyre Recyclers

For tyre recycling businesses, EPR schemes have ambivalent implications that depend on the specific scheme design.

Increased tyre supply. EPR schemes typically improve the collection rate of used tyres from retail points, increasing the volume of tyres available to legitimate recyclers. This improved supply benefits recyclers who want to grow processing volumes.

Gate fee structures. EPR-funded collection schemes may set gate fees for recyclers that are lower than the market would otherwise produce, because the scheme is funding the collection cost rather than paying a full disposal gate fee. Recyclers need to understand how EPR scheme gate fees compare to their actual processing costs.

Recycling targets. EPR schemes impose recycling rate targets that affect which processing routes are eligible for EPR credit. Energy recovery from TDF typically counts at lower credit value than material recycling; crumb rubber and civil engineering baling typically count as full recycling credit. These distinctions affect the economics of different processing routes under EPR scheme accounting.

Quality requirements. EPR schemes may impose quality or specification requirements on processing to qualify for scheme funding. PAS 108 baling that produces compliant bales meeting scheme specifications qualifies; non-compliant processing does not.

“The direction of travel globally is toward more explicit producer responsibility for tyres,” says Conor Murphy, Director of Gradeall International. “For our customers running tyre recycling operations, that means more structured collection systems, more documentation requirements, and potentially more stable gate fee structures through PRO contracts. The investment in quality processing equipment, equipment that produces compliant output to accepted specifications, becomes more important not less as EPR frameworks tighten.”

Contact Gradeall International for tyre processing equipment that meets the quality and specification requirements of EPR schemes and certification frameworks.

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