International trade in waste tyres has almost doubled in the past five years, according to data provided by customs departments to the
United Nations, generating millions of dollars in business across the supply chain.
The biggest, and fastest growing, trading route is from
Britain to
India, where authorities are increasingly worried about the dirty business of turning waste rubber into oil - a process called pyrolysis.
Reuters has interviewed dozens of players in the waste tyre business in India,
Malaysia, Britain,
Singapore and Dubai - including garages, collectors, exporters and end users - to find out who makes money from waste tyres.