BBC’s File on 4 Investigation: The Tyre Scandal

Tyre Stewardship Australia CEO Lina Goodman has been featured in the latest File on 4 Investigates podcast by BBC Radio 4, The Tyre Scandal, which exposes the environmental and regulatory gaps enabling the global export of end-of-life tyres to poorly regulated facilities abroad.

The investigation follows the trail of UK tyres being exported under the guise of “recycling”, only to end up in unlicensed and polluting operations in countries like India. Lina was interviewed to share how Australia confronted a similar issue — and became a global leader in enforcing accountability across the tyre supply chain. Goodman recalls of the situation in Australia before the ban:

“No-one could categorically tell me what was happening to that material,”  “Even legitimate operators… didn’t know. We were relying on the paperwork… once we prodded and checked, we realised that there were actually greater concerns with where that material was going.”

With mounting evidence, TSA worked closely with government and industry to implement stronger oversight. This culminated in Australia banning the export of whole and baled tyres in 2021.

The episode draws attention to how the UK, in contrast, has struggled to take decisive action — despite evidence of large-scale illegal dumping and environmental harm.

 Listen to The Tyre Scandal on BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 here.