Environmental campaign group Fighting Dirty has today welcomed the findings of a long-awaited internal review by the Environment Agency, which confirms the EA failed to ensure it was fulfilling its legal obligations when exporting waste tyres to India and will take action to prevent this from occurring. The review comes as a direct response to Fighting Dirty’s sustained campaign and legal threats over the last year.
The internal report, published this week by the Environment Agency, states that “the Environment Agency should take further steps to ensure we are fulfilling our legal obligations under the UK WSR when exporting waste pneumatic tyres to India and deliver against our objectives under the UK Waste Shipments Inspection Plan.” The review also concluded it is “highly likely that a proportion of UK waste pneumatic tyres are being diverted for illegal pyrolysis on arrival into India” , a fact which campaigners have been bringing to the Environment Agency’s attention for several years. It also admits the Agency “cannot assume” based on the incomplete information it held that exported tyres are being properly recovered or treated in an environmentally sound manner, as required under Article 49(2) of the UK Waste Shipments Regulation (UK WSR).
In response, the Agency has pledged to implement enhanced verification checks on all shipments of waste tyres to India by 1 October 2025 — a move Fighting Dirty claims as a “major campaign victory” after years of pressure on the UK Government to stop environmental dumping abroad.
Fighting Dirty are carefully considering the legal implications of the review in light of their proposed legal action.
Georgia Elliott-Smith, Founding Director of Fighting Dirty, said:
“This is a landmark moment in our fight to hold the UK to account for the toxic trail it leaves in other countries. The Government has finally admitted what we’ve known all along — that our waste tyres are being illegally burned in India, poisoning communities and destroying the environment.
It should never have taken the threat of legal action to force this level of honesty. We welcome the commitment to enhanced checks, but we will be watching closely to ensure these measures are fully implemented and enforced. Today’s announcement is a huge win for environmental justice and for every campaigner who refused to look the other way.”
Leigh Day, which represented Fighting Dirty, added:
“This report vindicates our client’s concerns and confirms that the UK Government has not been doing enough to fulfil its legal duty to ensure waste tyres exported to India are processed safely and legally. The Environment Agency’s commitment to strengthen its regulatory approach is a direct result of the legal action we pursued on behalf of Fighting Dirty, together with investigations by the OEP and BBC. We are considering the review in detail and will continue to monitor the implementation of these changes closely.”
The group launched its #StopTheTyreScandal campaign in 2023, after uncovering evidence of UK tyres being shipped to facilities in India conducting unregulated pyrolysis — a hazardous process that releases carcinogenic fumes and heavy metals.
This is the latest in a series of successful campaigns by Fighting Dirty to challenge UK waste policy and push for environmental accountability.
Contact:
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Georgia Elliott-Smith directly on mailto:hi@fightingdirty.org
For more information about Fighting Dirty please visit www.fightingdirty.org
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