Waste Tyre Disposal FAQ

Yes. Waste tyres are classed as controlled waste in Scotland, so dumping, burying or burning them is illegal and can lead to significant fines and prosecution. Tyres are also banned from landfill. The safe, legal route is collection by a SEPA-licensed waste carrier such as UK Rubber, who then process them at a licensed facility.

No. Skip-hire firms are not licensed to carry tyres and will reject loads containing them, and tyres must never be mixed with general waste or sent to landfill. They must be collected separately by a licensed waste carrier. UK Rubber provides a dedicated uplift for exactly this purpose.

SEPA — the Scottish Environment Protection Agency — regulates how waste tyres are stored, transported and processed in Scotland. Using a SEPA-licensed operator means your tyres are handled lawfully and traceably, protecting your business from the fines and reputational risk of using an unlicensed collector. UK Rubber operates a fully SEPA-licensed uplift and processing service under licence number WML/L/1187102.

Under Scottish waste law, any business that produces waste tyres has a legal duty of care to store them safely and transfer them only to an authorised, licensed carrier — with an accurate Waste Transfer Note kept on record. Failing to check your collector’s licence is itself a breach, regardless of what later happens to the tyres. UK Rubber’s licensed service and documentation keep you compliant.

Yes. UK Rubber issues the correct duty-of-care documentation for every collection, giving your business proof that its end-of-life tyres were handed to a licensed carrier and disposed of responsibly. You should keep these records on file for your compliance.

UK Rubber provides waste tyre collection across Scotland’s central belt and northern Scotland. Our main plant is in Motherwell, within easy reach of Glasgow, Edinburgh and the M8 corridor, and we also have sites in Aberdeen and Dundee — covering Inverness, Peterhead and the wider north-east. We can also accept deliveries from across the UK. Contact us with your postcode to confirm coverage.

We collect from private and commercial businesses of all sizes — including garages, MOT centres, tyre fitters, fleet operators, dealerships, farms and industrial sites. Whether you have a one-off stockpile or need scheduled ongoing collections, we can tailor a service to your volumes.

UK Rubber can provide an uplift collection service or accept deliveries to our Motherwell plant. Please contact us and we will arrange whichever option best suits your business.

Collection times vary depending on demand, but we work quickly: depending on your location and how busy we are, we can sometimes collect within half an hour, and collections are typically arranged within two working days. Contact our team with your tyre type, quantity and postcode and we’ll confirm the earliest available slot.

We accept a full range of end-of-life tyres, including car, van, HGV, bus and coach, tractor and agricultural, OTR (off-the-road) and earthmover, forklift and solid, and motorcycle tyres. If you are unsure whether we can take a particular tyre, get in touch and we will advise.

At this time we cannot accept buried tyres or tyres that are mixed with general waste. Tyres should be reasonably clean and free of other materials so they can be processed efficiently. If you are unsure about a load, contact us before booking a collection.

The cost depends on the type and size of tyre, the quantity, your location and whether you need a one-off uplift or a regular scheduled service. Larger tyres such as agricultural and OTR are priced differently from car and van tyres. Contact UK Rubber with your requirements for a tailored quote.

Once collected, your tyres are processed at our SEPA-licensed plant using UNTHA shredding technology. They are shredded and separated so clean steel and fibre are recovered and the rubber is turned into crumb and chips for reuse — full circular-economy recycling, with nothing sent to landfill.

We produce recycled rubber crumb and chips in a range of sizes, from 40mm down to 1mm, used for landscaping, equestrian and play-area surfaces and as Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF). Recovered steel is sold as high-value scrap and the fibre is used as a product additive — so every part of the tyre is recycled.

Yes. UK Rubber supplies recycled rubber chips and crumb in a variety of colours and sizes to suit landscaping, surfacing and industrial projects. See our Rubber Chippings & Crumb page or contact our team to discuss your requirements.

UK Rubber is rated 5.0 on Google. You can read our customer reviews by searching for UKR at Park Street, Motherwell ML1 1PU, or by finding UKR on Google Maps. Our reviews reflect the reliable, fully compliant tyre collection and recycling service we provide to businesses across Scotland — and we welcome feedback after every collection.

UK Rubber operates Scotland’s first and only industrial-scale, SEPA-licensed tyre recycling plant, based in Motherwell in the central belt. Rather than simply collecting and moving tyres elsewhere, we process them here in Scotland — giving your business a fully compliant, traceable, local solution with genuine environmental benefit.