Forthcoming European Union (EU) legislation seems likely to ban the disposal of used tyres at landfill sites. The UK's Environment Agency (EA) supports this proposal, but is concerned that it will significantly increase illegal tyre dumping and damage the environment. Dumped tyres cause visual intrusion, and are also a major fire risk. There have been several major fires in tyre tips during recent years; one has been burning for nine years. Such fires produce hazardous substances, which pollute the air and contaminate surrounding soil, vegetation, and water systems. In a recent report, the EA outlines environmentally friendly options for tyre disposal, including recycling material and recovering energy. In 1996, only 27% of used tyres in the UK were used for energy recovery, compared with over 70% in many European countries. However, tyres have a high energy content, compared with fossil fuels and other wastes. Pyrolysis is a method of decomposing materials by heat in an oxygen-free atmosphere; it can be applied to tyres to generate oil, gas, carbon, steel and electricity, and contribute to cement manufacture. The EA also recommends increased tyre durability and reduced noise from tyre-road contact. The UK Government has asked the Scrap Tyre Working Group to examine the alternative approaches to handling used tyres.
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