new delhi around 60 of endoflife tyres elts might be getting dumped in landfill sites or being incinserated thus contributing significantly to both land and air pollution a recent study released by ngo chintan has revealed the study which is called circulating tyres in the economy further suggests that elts should be utilised in building new roads to reduce the burden on landfill sites ensuring that they are optimally usedaccording to data 12734 million tyres were produced in india in 201617 an increase of 12 from the previous year out of which 60 tyres ended up at landfill sites or got incinerated the study also highlights how the tyres can have a bubble effect trapping methane gas at landfill sites and contaminating groundwaterthe bubble effect has the potential to damage the landfill liners that are installed to help keep landfill contaminants in check thus leading to a higher probability of polluting not just the ground surface but also the groundwater the study saidexperts feel that while policies exist to utilise tyres in such a manner for new roads its implementation is lacking and there needs to be a focus on that which the report has suggested the explosion of elts requires that the rubber literally hits the roads so that it can be controlled technology has to speak if we want environmental solutions to manage our landfill sites and control air and land pollution we also need to implement our policies better said bharati chaturvedi director at chintan adding that they hope the report is likely to boost efforts in this sector once againfindings of the study further said that the other option taken across the country included burning of these tyres which was again releasing toxic pollutants in the airthe process of burning of rubber results in the emission of carcinogenic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dioxin furans and oxides of nitrogen which are extremely hazardous to the environment and human health the report statedchintan in the study asks the ministry of road transport and highways to enforce the circulars issued in 2000 with regard to using crumb rubber modified bitumen amaterial derived from tyres that can be used for construction of roads the study also suggests reusing tyres by using techniques like regrooving and retreading or recycling them through the formal sector while strengthening the informal sector elts need to be safely brought back to the system either through recycling or reuse or by using them through roads this will serve the dual purpose of not harming the environment and help the economy as well said chitra mukherjee head of programmes operations at chintanrajiv budhraja director general of automotive tyre manufacturers association said that india is currently importing three lakh tonnes of tyres each year as there was no system of collection he added that improvement is now expected under the new waste tyres management rules where tyre dealers have to maintain inventories of sales