Waste Tyres Management System in India

Here's a structured breakdown of the Waste Tyre Management System in India, along with the roles of MOEFCC, CPCB, SPCBs, and Municipal Corporations:

What are Waste Tyres?

Waste tyres are used or worn-out tyres from vehicles, which can no longer be used for their original function. These include tyres from:

• Two-wheelers
• Four-wheelers
• Heavy-duty vehicles
• Off-road vehicles

Improper disposal of waste tyres leads to serious environmental and health hazards, including:

• Fire risks (they burn for a long time and release toxic gases)
• Breeding grounds for mosquitoes (when water gets trapped)
• Soil and groundwater contamination from leachates

📜 Legal Framework

India has introduced the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which cover used tyres. Later, the Hazardous Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022 introduced a dedicated framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in waste tyre management.

🔄 Key Concepts in Waste Tyre Management

1. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• Importers and manufacturers of tyres are responsible for collecting and disposing of end-of-life tyres in an environmentally safe manner.
• They must obtain EPR registration from the CPCB.
• Obligated to recycle or recover energy from a specific percentage of waste tyres.

2. Authorized Recyclers/Retreaders

• Must be registered with CPCB or SPCB.
• Use approved technologies like pyrolysis, crumb rubber processing, or energy recovery.

🏛️ Role of Government Bodies

1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

• Policy Formulation & Legal Framework
  • Develops rules and regulations under the Environment Protection Act.
  • Introduced EPR framework for waste tyres.
  • Oversees national-level coordination for waste tyre management.
• Ensures India's compliance with international conventions (e.g., Basel Convention for hazardous waste).

2. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

• Regulatory & Monitoring Role
  • Registers producers, importers, and recyclers under the EPR regime.
  • Prepares and maintains an online portal for registration and compliance tracking.
  • Publishes guidelines on storage, transportation, and processing of waste tyres.
  • Conducts audits and inspections to ensure compliance.
  • Monitors environmental compliance of pyrolysis units and other facilities.

3. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs)

• State-Level Implementation
  • Grant authorizations to recycling/retreading units.
  • Monitor compliance of local tyre processing units.
  • Carry out inspections, sampling, and enforcement actions.
  • Assist CPCB in maintaining compliance data from their jurisdiction.
  • Approve site locations for new recycling/processing facilities.

4. Municipal Corporations / Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)

• Local Level Support
  • Coordinate with informal collectors and scrap dealers to channel tyres to authorized recyclers.
  • Provide space or support infrastructure for collection centers or storage.
  • Spread public awareness about tyre recycling and the dangers of illegal burning.
  • Help in integrating waste tyre collection into the city’s overall solid waste management system.

⚠️ Key Challenges

• Illegal pyrolysis plants that operate without emission controls.
• Informal sector dominance with low environmental compliance.
• Poor tracking of imported used tyres and unregistered recyclers.
• Low awareness among vehicle owners and dealers.

✅ Way Forward

• Strict enforcement of EPR norms.
• Capacity building for SPCBs and municipal bodies.
• Promote certified recycling technologies.
• Integrate the informal sector.
• Educate tyres dealers, workshops, and transporters.

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