Tyre-to-Fuel Policy Shift

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a new proposal to address the issue of millions of abandoned tyres across the United States, while also promoting their use as an alternative fuel source.

The EPA proposal seeks to accelerate the clean-up of tyre stockpiles, which are widely recognised as a risk to public health and safety. Large tyre piles can become fire hazards and breeding grounds for disease-carrying animals, while also creating significant environmental and visual concerns for local communities.

According to the EPA, an estimated 48 million abandoned tyres remain across at least 23 states and Tribal lands. To help tackle this, the agency is proposing to allow whole scrap tyres to be used as a non-waste fuel in cement kilns. It also aims to streamline how tyre collection programmes manage tyres destined for energy recovery, supporting faster removal of stockpiles and improved resource utilisation.

“Abandoned tyre piles across the US pose a threat to the health and safety of Americans, but this waste stream can be and should be responsibly and carefully addressed to make America both healthy and energy dominant again. Our latest proposal provides a commonsense approach to better clean up scrap tyres and realise their full potential as fuel,” said Office of Land and Emergency Management Acting Assistant Administrator Thomas Croci.

The EPA has opened a 60-day public consultation period, with stakeholders invited to submit feedback on the proposal until 22 May 2026.

In the United States, the use of tyre-derived fuel (TDF) in cement kilns is already well established, with a number of facilities integrating scrap tyres into their energy mix. A notable example is Holcim, which has invested in dedicated TDF systems at its Holcim Alpena Plant in 2023. 

The plant’s upgraded TDF unit enables the efficient use of whole and processed tyres as a supplemental fuel, helping to reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuels while supporting tyre waste reduction. This approach is not unique to the U.S.; co-processing tyres in cement kilns is a widely adopted solution globally, valued for its ability to recover energy and utilise the material’s high calorific value within existing industrial processes.

However, approaches vary globally. In Europe, policy and industry trends are increasingly focused on higher-value material recovery, such as recycling into rubber products or recovered carbon black, in line with circular economy principles. As a result, the use of tyres for energy recovery is gradually being deprioritised in favour of material recycling, although it remains part of the overall waste management mix in some markets.

Learn More:

• Tire Pyrolysis Technology & ELT Conversion Systems
  → https://kleanindustries.com/products/tire-pyrolysis/
• Recovered Carbon Black (rCB Applications)
  → https://kleanindustries.com/products/recovered-carbon-black/
• Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) & Refinery Integration
  → https://kleanindustries.com/insights/
• Waste-to-Energy & Circular Economy Projects
  → https://kleanindustries.com/projects/
• Plastic & Waste Conversion Technologies
  → https://kleanindustries.com/solutions/

Turn Policy Momentum into Waste-to-Fuel Projects with Klean Industries

The EPA’s proposed measures to address abandoned tyres and expand their use as fuel reflect a critical shift: waste tyres are increasingly being recognized as a strategic energy resource.

Abandoned tyres present:

• Environmental hazards (fire risk, contamination, vector-borne disease)
• Economic burdens for municipalities
• Lost opportunities for material and energy recovery

At the same time, tire-derived fuel (TDF) is gaining traction because:

• It provides a high-energy alternative to fossil fuels
• It is already used in industries such as cement and power generation
• It helps divert waste from landfills and illegal dumping

Research shows that scrap tyres have long been used as low-cost alternative fuel sources, driven by their calorific value and availability. However, expanding fuel use alone does not maximize value.

Klean Industries enables a more advanced approach:

• Convert tyres into refinery-grade fuels, recovered carbon black, and gas
• Move beyond basic combustion (TDF) into higher-value material recovery pathways
• Integrate waste streams into circular fuel and chemical supply chains
• Deliver scalable infrastructure aligned with evolving regulatory frameworks
• Provide full lifecycle solutions—from feedstock to monetized outputs

As regulators increasingly push for waste diversion and fuel substitution, the opportunity is clear: upgrade from waste disposal → to value-driven resource recovery.

Contact Klean Industries to develop your waste-to-fuel strategy » GO.