It has long been known that unscrupulous exporters of waste label their containers as something other than it is. Waste tyres being exported as retreads, or retreads being exported as new tyres come to mind.
India Uncovers Dumped Imported Tyres
Back in 2017, Indian Customs officials found containers from Germany that purported to contain computer spares, only to find they were full of waste paper.
Now, Customs officials at Kochi have begun an investigation into 29 containers of used tyres that originated in the USA.
The containers have been impounded and are believed to be part of a deal to import waste tyres from the USA.
The containers, which arrived at Vallarpadom International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Customs officials said that though the name of the importer was shown as ‘Mason Impex Pvt Ltd, New Delhi’, On checking it emerged that there was no such firm functioning in the listed address and the importer details were fake.
“We suspected foul play when the importer didn’t turn up with documents for clearing the containers from the terminal. The containers were opened and inspected. All of them were stacked with worn-out tyres,” officers said, adding, they are almost certain that it was an attempt to dump waste tyres in India. “It’s illegal to import waste materials to India. We have strong anti-dumping rules and appropriate action will be taken,” they said.
India, last year, increased license fees for importers in a move to impact on low level operations that they believed fed tyres to sub standard pyrolysis plants. They also put a ban on the import of baled whole tyres.
However, a scan of social media reveals that there are still people failing to comply with those conditions – and they get away with it through a lack of customs checks at the port of departure and the destination ports.
Everyone in the chain needs to up their game to ensure that waste tyre trade is done legitimately – else it will almost certainly find even greater impositions on those playing by the rules.