As dusk falls over Murbichapada, a small tribal village nestled in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, Vandana Hadal hurries past a blue tin shed. Above her, a chimney belches dark smoke that drifts toward her village. Trees and grass within 15 metres of the structure are blanketed in soot, while the stench of burning rubber permeates the air. Even brief exposure causes a burning sensation in the throat.

“The smell of burning tyres lingers all day,” says 46-year-old Hadal, gesturing toward her village of barely 100 residents. “Small children fall sick, clothes and utensils turn black. Our fields are covered with soot so thick we can’t even eat properly.”

This is the reality for many villages surrounding Wada taluka, where approximately 45 pyrolysis plants operate in proximity to tribal communities. Pyrolysis plants are industrial facilities that heat waste tyres at temperatures approaching 500°C to extract steel, oil, and carbon through a process known as pyrolysis. 

The Central Pollution Control Board had last year come up with a standard operating procedure to operate such plants and safely dispose of its waste. But there were signs of possible violations during Newslaundry’s visits across Wada.

Additionally, while all plants on paper insist they use domestically sourced tyres, but a portion of the raw material fuelling this industry may, in fact, be imported. One plant operator told Newslaundry his facility sources tyres from a major Indian importer. This aligns with findings from a BBC investigation, which traced shipments of used tyres from the UK and other countries to India, where they were processed in ways that flouted environmental norms. The UK-based Tyre Recovery Association had earlier expressed alarm about British waste tyres flowing to India, estimating that only 10 to 15 percent of these imports are used as replacement tyres, with the remainder directed to pyrolysis facilities. Though not all factories rely on imports, the presence of foreign waste in the supply chain highlights a global pipeline of pollution. 

While one pyrolysis plant owner did acknowledge the use of imported waste tyres, Newslaundry could not independently verify whether such tyres are being burnt in Wada or if the practice exists across all the 45 pyrolysis plants operating in the area. Only an official investigation can establish the extent of such practices. This report is limited in scope to make any blanket claim.

Soot on farms, carbon on floors, ‘no NOC’

In Murbichapada, soot coated trees and farms. In Biloshi, carbon settled on the floors of homes, forcing residents to clean up thrice a day. Meanwhile, residents of Kuyulu gram panchayat – covering Kuyule, Torne, Shivneri, and Chendvali – have been protesting the operation of at least two pyrolysis plants that they claim were set up without gram sabha consent, violating the Panchayats Act.

Suhas Bhere of Torne claims the plants are located in an eco-sensitive zone near Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, yet continue to operate without clearance. “This is a PESA-designated area, and under the law, any commercial or industrial project must first receive consent from the gram sabha.”

Vitthal Gore from Kuyulu said the plants are dangerously close to a school and the village’s main water source. “They are threatening our health and farming-based livelihood,” he tells Newslaundry.

Last month, villagers had filed a complaint with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board demanding immediate shutdowns.

Nearby, Musarne resident Kalpesh Patil claimed that 17 plants in Mauje-Vadavali gram panchayat are running just around 250 metres from homes, calling it “a threat to both health and livelihood”.

The National Green Tribunal had attempted to address such issues, directing the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to conduct surveys of pyrolysis operations. A July 2019 CPCB report identified 637 tyre pyrolysis units across 19 states, with 270 violating environmental regulations. By November 2022, this number had grown to 757 units in 17 states, with 216 non-compliant operations. Despite these findings and subsequent regulatory updates, including CPCB guidelines issued in 2024 that underlined the need for waste and emissions management, enforcement appears to be inconsistent, for example in Palghar.

Biloshi gram panchayat presents a case study in regulatory failure. The panchayat passed formal resolutions in January 2024 and February 2025 demanding the immediate closure of eight pyrolysis factories operating within its jurisdiction. Yet months later, these facilities continue to function with apparent impunity.

“This is a tribal area where PESA is in force, according to which the decision of the gram panchayat is supreme,” says Vaibhav Patil, a Biloshi resident. “But despite informing the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, no action has ever been taken.”

Even promised intervention by Ganesh Naik, Maharashtra’s Environment Minister and Guardian Minister of Palghar, has failed to produce results.

“Naik sahab held his Janta Darbar on March 28 where he ordered officials to close these companies,” Patil says. “It’s been over a month, and not a single official has come here.”

Newslaundry reached out to Naik for comment. This report will be updated if he responds.

Meanwhile, the impact on daily life is devastating and multidimensional. For Yogita Bhoir, a 35-year-old resident of Biloshi-Vasuri, the constant battle against soot has transformed household maintenance into an exhausting ordeal. “As homemakers, we now clean our floors three to four times daily,” she says.

The agricultural consequences are equally clear in a region where many residents depend on farming. Some allege that carbon deposits have reduced crop yields, particularly affecting mango production, a significant source of income for many families.

“The carbon flying from these factories affects everything,” says Uday Patil, a 40-year-old farmer. “It settles on our fields and barns, damaging crops and contaminating the food we grow.”

Dr Tejashree Patil, a physician based in Wada, states, “The air pollution caused by pyrolysis plants primarily affects the lungs and can lead to respiratory illnesses such as asthma, sinusitis, and tuberculosis. I have personally observed an increase in these conditions among residents living in villages near such plants. We’ve also noticed a rise in skin-related issues, though not severe. Additionally, the contamination of drinking water due to carbon emissions and the discharge of purge water from these factories has led to gastrointestinal problems.”

The profits and link to global waste tyre pipeline

The economics driving this environmental crisis reveal complex incentive structures. Pyrolysis plant operators defend their industry as both profitable and beneficial, extracting valuable materials from waste while generating substantial tax revenue.

“About Rs 600 crore in GST is collected annually from the 40-45 pyrolysis companies in Wada,” claims Rajesh (name changed), who operates a facility in Kupri village – Newslaundry visited two plants in Biloshi and two in Kupri. 

His operation processes between 1,000-1,300 tonnes of tyres monthly, with each tonne costing approximately Rs 16,000. When 10 tonnes of tyres are processed, the yield includes 3.5 tonnes of pyrolysis oil (sold at Rs 32-45 per kilogram), 1,600 kilograms of steel (Rs 18 per kilogram), and 3 tonnes of carbon (Rs 6 per kilogram).

While initially reluctant to discuss his suppliers, Rajesh points to a prominent Indian waste tyre importing company as his source.

Last month, the United Kingdom launched a comprehensive review into shipments of waste tyres from India. It had followed a BBC investigation that exposed that millions of these tyres – sent for recycling from the UK and other countries – were actually being “cooked” in furnaces in India, causing serious health problems and environmental damage.

The import of waste tyres is allowed for all recycling purposes except pyrolysis. And India is part of a vast international network of waste tyre disposal. According to import-export data from Volza, a US-based trade intelligence firm, India ranks first globally in waste tyre imports, receiving shipments from 93 countries. The flow has accelerated dramatically, with 17,635 shipments recorded between October 2023 and September 2024 alone. Six of the world’s top 10 ports for waste tyre imports are located in India, with Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port serving as the primary entry point.

The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers of India reported that waste tyre imports increased fivefold between 2020-21 and 2024, with approximately 14 lakh metric tonnes entering India in 2024 alone. Their former president, Anshuman Singhania, noted that between April and November 2023, about eight lakh metric tonnes of waste tyres were imported, primarily from European and West Asian countries.

The situation has even drawn concern from international bodies. 

An official from the Shipping Corporation of India, Mumbai, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that in foreign countries, people replace tyres every few months, and these used tyres are imported into India in large quantities. After arriving at the port, the cargo is sent to the container freight station for inspection. Once cleared, it is collected by the importing company. These scrap tyres typically come from countries such as the UK, US, Italy, and South Africa. Each year, approximately 4 lakh tonnes of scrap tyres are imported through Nhava Sheva Port.

Environmentalist Gurudas Noolkar says, “It is a crime for imported scrap tyres meant for recycling to end up in pyrolysis plants. However, most people are unaware of the import of waste tyres from abroad and the pollution caused by pyrolysis factories. Governments also tend to overlook this issue. It needs to be taken seriously, as the pollution it causes is extremely harmful.”

Sections of the recycling industry have been demanding that imported tyres be allowed for the pyrolysis sector. In May last year, the All India Rubber and Tyre Recyclers Association said such imports must be permitted for the growth of the industry and the economy. However, the technical review committee of the ministry of environment and forests referred the matter to the CPCB.

Seema Dalvi, sub-regional officer in the Kalyan division of the Maharashtra PCB, said, “Our surveillance is still going on and in the next 15 days our report on pyrolysis plants in the Wada area will be ready. Once the report is ready, we will submit it to the MPCB head office and a procedure will be initiated to take appropriate action against plants which are causing pollution.” 

Newslaundry reached out to the environment ministry, CPCB, the customs department, and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. We also reached out to the Palghar DM. This report will be updated if they respond.

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