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What is actually inside a tyre
A tyre is not one material. It is rubber compound, steel wire in the bead and belts, and textile cord, bonded together under heat so they do not come apart easily. That bonding is what makes a tyre safe on the road, and it is also what makes it expensive to recycle.
To recover anything useful, a recycler has to do one of two things:
- Shred and separate. The tyre is cut, the steel is pulled out magnetically, and the rubber is ground into crumb for mats, flooring and road surfacing.
- Pyrolysis. The tyre is heated without oxygen and breaks down into oil, carbon black, steel and gas. This needs a licensed plant with proper emission controls.
Both routes cost real money in machinery, power and labour before a single rupee comes back. That cost is taken out of what you are offered.
Why two tyre loads fetch very different rates
| Factor | Better rate | Worse rate |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Truck and bus tyres | Two-wheeler tyres |
| Condition | Dry, whole, no rim | Wet, filled with mud or water |
| Rims | Removed, sold separately as steel | Left on |
| Quantity | Full vehicle load | A few pieces |
| Mixing | Tyres only | Mixed with tubes, flaps and rubbish |
| Reusability | Casing good enough to retread | Cut, burnt or badly damaged |
Truck tyres are worth more than they look. A heavy truck or bus tyre carries far more rubber and steel per piece, and a sound casing may be retreaded rather than recycled. A retreadable casing is worth considerably more than the same tyre sold for shredding.
Water is the hidden cost. Tyres stored outside collect rainwater inside. That water adds weight you will not be paid for, breeds mosquitoes, and has to be drained before loading. A buyer who finds water in a load will discount the whole lot.
Tubes and flaps are a separate material
Inner tubes are usually butyl rubber, a different material from the tyre itself. Kept separate and clean, tubes have their own buyers. Thrown into the tyre pile, they are just contamination. The same goes for rim flaps and valves.
How to prepare a load
- Store under cover or stack on their sides so water cannot collect inside.
- Remove rims and sell them as steel scrap.
- Separate by type: truck and bus, car, two-wheeler, and tubes.
- Pull out casings that look sound. No cuts to the cord, no bulges, no exposed steel. Ask the buyer whether they take retreadable casings separately.
- Accumulate to a sensible load. A few tyres cost almost as much to collect as a full vehicle load.
- Take photographs of the stack and send them with a rough count by type, so every buyer quotes on the same thing.
Where your tyres should end up
India now handles waste tyres under an extended producer responsibility system. Recyclers and processors are expected to be registered and to account for what they handle. In practice, ask any buyer where the tyres go next.
Red flags:
- A buyer who cannot say where the tyres are processed.
- Very high rates for small loads. This often means the tyres will be burnt in the open for the steel.
- No invoice or paperwork. For a business, that is a problem for your own records and compliance.
Open burning of tyres releases toxic smoke and is illegal. If your material ends up there, it can come back to the person who sold it.
How we buy tyres. We count and grade in front of you, tell you which pieces we are paying more for and why, and tell you where the load is going.
Have tyres to clear?
Send photographs of the stack, a rough count by type, and your town. We collect across Thiruvallur and nearby areas.