Belgium Reaches Full Material Recovery for Used Tires
Tire Material Recovery
Belgium’s national used tire programme reports that all of the tires it valorised in 2025 were directed to material recovery, with no energy recovery in the mix.
A Circular System at Full Recovery
The 2025 annual report describes used tire management in Belgium as a circular economy system built on collection, pretreatment, recycling and material recovery. In 2025 the programme recorded 39,741 collections through 40 partners and 5,043 collection points, gathering 93,685 tonnes of used tires. Of that total, 90,188 tonnes were valorised through 60 pretreatment and treatment companies, at 100% material recovery.
Granulate Leads the Recovery Routes
Total valorisation reached 91,287 tonnes, with granulate the largest single route at 80,853 tonnes, or 88.57% of the total. Reuse accounted for 4,897 tonnes and retreading for 3,306 tonnes, while other material recovery streams included steel wire and craft applications. The trend is long-term: material recovery has climbed steadily since 2015, when it stood at 63.40% of valorisation, while energy recovery fell from 19.88% in 2015 to zero in 2025.
A Nationwide Collection Network
Collection reached 86.19% of the Belgian market in 2025, exceeding the stated minimum objective of 85%. By region, Flanders accounted for 58,061 tonnes, Wallonia for 32,584 tonnes and the Brussels Capital Region for 3,040 tonnes. The board president framed the organisation’s role as keeping collection, treatment and recycling as efficient as possible while driving a circular economy in which used tires become raw materials rather than waste.
Funding Through an Environmental Contribution
The system is funded by an environmental contribution paid for each new tire placed on the Belgian market, described by Recytyre as the financing basis for the take-back obligation and the services performed with its partners. Recytyre also flagged legal clarity around an interregional cooperation agreement and continued public awareness as priorities, pointing to a maturing stewardship model that keeps recovered rubber in productive use.
Learn More:
Recover Every Tonne of End-of-Life Tires
Belgium’s full material recovery shows what disciplined stewardship can achieve, but granulate is only one outlet for recovered rubber.
Klean Industries engineers tire pyrolysis plants that upgrade end-of-life tires into recovered carbon black, oil and steel for higher-value markets.
Interested in higher-value routes for your recovered tires?
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