The trouble with tyres

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2020. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

A global trade in scrap tyres from rich countries to the developed world has been surging in recent years, driven in part by demand from backyard furnaces that turn the waste into cheap fuel. The practice, known as pyrolysis, often takes place without controls on emissions or waste, with potentially devastating effects on local environments and the health of workers and residents.

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