Tyrelessly: A teenager who is changing the way tyres are recycled

Every day, India produces about 650,000 tyres and disposes 275,000. But, only a fraction of the disposed tyres go for recycling, creating an environmental hazard.

Worse is the common practice of burning old tyres, causingcarcinogenic pollution. The practice has continued for years, as people don't know environment-friendly and cost-effective ways of disposing used tyres.

Anubhav Wadhwa, 16, a resident of Gurgaon, is encouraging people to recycle used tyres while recovering valuable material. Last winter, while returning home from his class, Wadhwa noticed dozens of discarded tyres on roadside. A couple of tyres were being burnt by locals to generate heat. The hazardous smoke generated by this stayed on Wadhwa's mind. "Seeing someone set tyres on fire got me thinking. The idea led to setting up of Tyrelessly. To avoid environmental hazard, we set up an end-of-life tyre aggregator, working through an efficient platform," says Wadhwa, who founded Tyrelessly early this year.

Tyrelessly is India's first enterprise which encourages motorists to donate their used tyres for responsible recycling. If a person wishes to donate used tyres, he submits a request online. Tyrelessly then collects the used tyres and sends these for recycling. Wadwa's venture has partnered with recycling plants to process tyres. Tyrelessly gets 450-litre fuel, 150-litre petroleum gas, 75-kg steel, and 250-kg carbon from every tonne of tyre rubber. The material can be re-used to make premium quality rubber for synthetic sport flooring, construction, adhesives, resins, landscaping and mats.

Estimates show that about 100 million tyres require recycling every year. Wadhwa said the money generated from processed materials takes care of the logistics and processing, leaving some margins for the organisation to grow. "We are profitable since day one," he said. The company has processed about one tonne tyres so far.

Tyrelessly covers the entire National Capital Region and aims to expand to other cities. Wadhwa says many investors have shown interest in the concept.

India produces 146.1 million tyres a year, according to the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association. Around 9.5 million are imported annually. Apart from this, a large number of used tyres are dumped from West Asia, the US and Europe. Wadhwa says the goal is to inspire smarter, environment-friendly choices for a sustainable future. "I believe that individual actions, such as increasing recycling or learning about greener ways to dispose, can add up to a big impact for our planet. However, one cannot do this alone. India needs community participation. Tyrelessly aims at partnering with individuals, municipalities, waste haulers, communities and national brands to reach and motivate millions to join the movement towards more sustainable living," he says.

Wadhwa founded TechAPTO, an information technology services provider for education industry at the age of 13. He was named as one of the youngest chief executive officers in the country. Tyrelessly was founded from the accruals of his three-year-old venture.

RAGS TO RICHES

• Every day, India produces about 650,000 tyres and disposes 275,000
   
• Anubhav Wadhwa (16) founded Tyrelessly to recycles tyres responsibly
   
• Tyrelessly gets 450-litre fuel, 150-litre petroleum gas, 75-kg steel and 250-kg carbon from every tonne of tyre rubber