What is the T8 exemption? A complete guide for tyre operators

The T8 exemption is a registered waste exemption that allows specified, small-scale mechanical treatment of end-of-life tyres for recovery in England. It is an alternative to an environmental permit only when the operator meets every condition of the exemption. It is not a general licence to collect, store or dispose of unlimited quantities of tyres.

This guide explains the Environment Agency's published T8 conditions and the proposed withdrawal timetable as checked on 7 November 2026. The guidance applies to England; operators elsewhere in the UK must check with their own regulator.

What does a waste exemption mean?

Waste activities normally need an appropriate environmental authorisation. A registered exemption provides a narrower route for a defined activity, specified waste types and limited quantities. Registration does not remove the conditions: if your operation falls outside them, T8 does not authorise that operation.

An environmental permit is a different authorisation, with conditions for the activities and risks at the site. If you want to treat more waste than T8 allows, the Environment Agency says you must apply for an environmental permit. You should also seek advice where your treatment process or waste type is outside the exemption.

What tyre treatment does T8 allow?

The exemption is for recovery of waste tyres through the following mechanical processes:

• Baling: compressing tyres into bales.
• Shredding: reducing whole tyres into smaller pieces.
• Peeling and shaving: removing tyre material mechanically.
• Granulating: reducing tyre material into granules.
• Re-treading: treating end-of-life tyres so they can be reused as tyres.

You can clean tyres and separate them from wheel rims before further treatment. Shredded or granulated end-of-life tyres may be treated by granulating, and this must be done indoors.

The guidance gives examples such as tyre bales for construction, granulate for horse manèges and further granulation to meet material specifications. These examples do not automatically authorise the receiving site or the eventual use of the material.

Which waste types are covered?

• Waste code 16 01 03: end-of-life tyres.
• Waste code 19 12 04: shredded or granulated end-of-life tyres only.

The actual waste must match both the code and its description. T8 does not allow treatment of other waste types or hazardous waste. In particular, the reference to code 19 12 04 is restricted to tyre material; it is not permission to treat all plastics or rubber carrying that code.

What are the quantity and storage limits?

The Environment Agency states that you can store or treat 60 tonnes of truck tyres or 40 tonnes of any other tyres over any 7-day period. These are not daily allowances, and the guidance does not describe an extra storage allowance on top of the treatment limit. For mixed tyre streams or uncertainty about how a limit applies, obtain advice rather than assuming the two limits can be added together.

Within the 7-day limit, tyres must be stored in piles no bigger than 10 tonnes, with a gap as a fire break between each pile. Meeting the tonnage limit does not excuse failure to meet the pile-size or fire-break conditions.

Illustrative example: a site handling only car tyres cannot rely on T8 for 50 tonnes over a 7-day period, because that exceeds the 40-tonne allowance for tyres other than truck tyres. A 12-tonne pile would breach the 10-tonne pile condition even where the site's total quantity is within the overall allowance.

Does T8 cover sorting, collection or ordinary tyre fitting?

Sorting tyres as an associated prior treatment is not authorised by T8 itself. The Environment Agency publishes a separate low-risk waste position, LRWP 72, for sorting associated with T8 operations. That is a conditional enforcement position, not a replacement exemption or an unconditional permission. Check its current conditions before relying on it.

T8 should not be confused with authorisation for every part of the tyre supply chain. A garage removing worn tyres, a carrier collecting them and a processor shredding them have different activities and responsibilities. Do not assume that a fitter needs T8 solely because it produces waste tyres, or that T8 automatically authorises a collection or standalone storage business. Check the authorisation appropriate to what the business actually does.

Registration and ongoing responsibilities

You must register T8 with the Environment Agency if you intend to rely on it and can meet its requirements. The current guidance places T8 in the Upper charging band. Check the live registration and charges pages for the applicable fee and registration arrangements rather than relying on an old statement that registration is free.

• Keep accurate records of waste types, weights, receipts, treatment and removals so you can demonstrate compliance.
• Monitor quantities over 7-day periods, not just the amount present during an inspection.
• Maintain compliant piles and fire breaks, and undertake further granulation indoors where required.
• Prevent pollution and harm to people or the environment; consider fire, dust, noise, drainage and safe site operation.
• Check the authorisation of carriers and receiving facilities and keep the appropriate waste transfer records.
• Review changes to your activity, throughput or storage before assuming the existing registration still covers them.

When does treated tyre material stop being waste?

Shredding or baling a tyre does not by itself prove that the resulting material is a product rather than waste. The T8 guidance refers to PAS 108 for tyre bales used in construction, PAS 107 for size-reduced tyre materials, and the relevant waste quality protocol for waste-derived rubber. Operators must assess the applicable end-of-waste requirements for their material and intended use.

The guidance also identifies REACH obligations where recovered material is sold as a product rather than waste. Downstream uses may need their own authorisation: examples listed by the Environment Agency include U2 for specified construction use of tyre bales, U8 for specified uses and U9 for manufacture of finished goods.

Why is T8 changing, and what is the proposed timetable?

The Government says the waste exemption reforms are intended to reduce harm from waste crime and poorly managed waste operations. T8 is among the exemptions due to be withdrawn. As at this article's publication, the official guidance describes the reforms as subject to parliamentary approval; T8 should not be described as already withdrawn.

• Before 17 December 2026: parliamentary approval is expected, not guaranteed.
• 6 January 2027: the proposed new regulations would come into force, subject to approval.
• 6 April 2027: the published timetable would withdraw T8 after a three-month transition.

Under that proposed timetable, operators wishing to continue would need to apply for a waste environmental permit before 6 April 2027 or stop the activity from that date. The guidance says operators who apply before that date can continue under their exemption while the permit is processed. That is not permission to exceed the existing exemption conditions or a guarantee that a permit will be granted.

What should operators do now?

• Confirm exactly which activities take place at each site and what authorisation currently covers them.
• Check actual waste codes, 7-day quantities, pile sizes and indoor treatment against the published T8 conditions.
• Identify gaps in site plans, management procedures, risk assessments and fire prevention arrangements.
• Discuss the appropriate permit route with the Environment Agency or a competent adviser, allowing time to prepare the application.
• Monitor the official reform guidance and parliamentary approval status before relying on a deadline.

For businesses reporting Scope 3 emissions, the practical link is traceability: record tyre tonnage, treatment route and final destination. T8 registration alone is neither a carbon certification nor evidence of net zero disposal. This article is general information, not site-specific legal or permitting advice.