End-of-life tyre recycling

In 1995 the first Danish Executive Order with economic incentives regarding end-of-life tyres (ELT) was introduced, in order to collect and recycle used tyres in an environmentally sustainable way.

The Danish Tyre Industry Environmental Fund is appointed by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer subsidies for the recycling of end-of-life tyres.

This is a brief introduction in how the ELT scheme works.

Legislation

Executive Order no. 1660 dated November 13th 2020 applies.

Executive Order no. 637 dated May 24th 2023 amending the Executive Order no. 1660.

Executive Order no. 1264 dated November 27th 2023 amending the Executive Order no. 1660.

Levy payment

Tyre producers and importers pay a levy to the Customs and Tax Administration (Skat).

The levy varies between 12.90 to 268.83 DKK (∼ 1.73 - 36.08 EUR) excl. VAT per tyre depending on the type/size. The levies are transferred from Skat to The EPA.

See the actual levies/fees here.

Collection of tyres

EPA-approved tyre collectors collect ELTs at car dealers, tyre shops, garages etc.

A list of approved tyre collectors can be found here.

Recycling

Tyres suitable for retreading are delivered to retreading companies. Scrap tyres are delivered to EPA-approved recycling plants for granulation or pyrolysis treatment.

Subsidy payment

A subsidy is paid to the tyre collector by the Danish Tyre Industry Environmental Fund on behalf of the EPA for ELTs delivered to approved recycling plants.

Subsidy incl. VAT per kg as of January 1st 2025:

Max. 1.71 DKK (∼ 0.23 EUR) for tyres with rim diameter < 24 inches.

Max. 2.37 DKK (∼ 0.32 EUR) for tyres with rim diameter ≥ 24 inches.

The subsidy is adjusted according to the extent of recycling at the plant where the collected ELTs are delivered.

Approvals

To apply for approval to collect ELTs please complete this form (in Danish).

To apply for approval for granulation or pyrolysis of ELTs please contact the EPA.

In order to get an approval from the EPA, the recycling company must comply with the requirements described in section 20 in Executive Order no. 1660.

Statistics

The numbers of collected and recycled ELTs can be found here.