The tyre recycling economy in Germany is working, but is in urgent need of political support, as the current survey of used tyre volumes by the wdk shows. According to the survey, around 100,000 tonnes of used tyres were removed from the German recycling system in 2024. Stephan Rau, Technical Managing Director of the wdk, suspects that „these and even larger quantities were exported to countries outside the EU to be incinerated or used for pyrolysis under desolate health and environmental conditions. In the view of NEW LIFE network coordinator Christina Guth, the further increase in the volume of used tyres illustrates „the relevance of a sustainable, functioning tyre recycling economy.“
Waste tyres on the rise - potential remains untapped
The figures recently published by the wdk clearly show that the volume of used tyres in Germany rose to 535,000 tonnes in 2024 - an increase of 20,000 tonnes compared to the previous year. At the same time, the German recycling system is missing out on around 100,000 tonnes a year, which are recycled outside the circular economy or even exported. This deficit needs to be closed. Because every tyre that remains in the cycle saves CO₂, raw materials and avoids waste. „These used tyres are no longer available to our domestic recycling industry and undermine the development of a sustainable circular economy,“ warns Rau.
Urgent need to adapt the political framework
To keep more tyres in the cycle, we need reliable framework conditions, targeted support and a clear commitment to the circular economy from politicians and industry. AZuR, NEW LIFE and the wdk are jointly calling for stronger political support: for transparent quantity recording, clear legal requirements and a sustainable tyre recycling economy that avoids hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste every year, reduces CO2 emissions and conserves natural resources.
„We can only close the gap of 100,000 tonnes and exploit the full ecological and economic potential of the circular tyre economy if all stakeholders pull together,“ emphasises Guth. Mandatory, centralised collection of all recyclable used tyres can, for example, make it possible to track outflows abroad and prevent illegal disposal practices.
Thermal recycling of used tyres continues to lose importance
Encouragingly, the proportion of used tyres recycled thermally - particularly in the cement industry - continues to fall. While 143,000 tonnes of used tyres (27.2 % of the total volume) were thermally recycled in 2022, the volume fell from 109,000 tonnes (2023) to 93,000 tonnes (2024), which corresponds to only 17.4 % of the total volume. This decline is a clear sign of the growing importance of environmentally friendly recycling processes such as mechanical recycling.
Sustainable used tyre recycling turns waste into the raw material of the future
The volume of used tyres that were sent for climate-friendly mechanical recycling in 2024 rose from 166,000 tonnes in the previous year to 193,000 tonnes, which corresponds to 36.2& of the total volume. „Our recycling process shows how climate-friendly tyre recycling works,“ says Genan Key Account Manager Eduard Vogt. High-quality secondary raw materials [steel wire, textile fibres and above all rubber] are obtained from the used tyres in mechanical processes for the manufacture of sustainable new products. „But for this we need planning security and sufficient used tyres for recycling in our plants,“ says Vogt.