Wastefront announced on February 28, 2025, that construction has officially begun on its £100 million (approximately $129 million) tire-to-fuel facility at the Port of Sunderland in the United Kingdom. This milestone project marks a significant step forward in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK and will bring significant economic benefits to the North East region, with more than 100 local jobs expected to be created.
The facility uses advanced pyrolysis technology to convert waste tires into Tire Derived Oil (TDO) through anaerobic heating, which is then refined into sustainable fuels such as SAF, and its systems are designed to be self-sufficient, utilizing recovered gases generated during the pyrolysis process to power its operations.
The plant is being built in two phases: the first phase will be commercially operational by the end of 2026 and the second phase is expected to start up the following year. When fully operational, it will be able to process 10 million scrap tires per year, making it the largest facility of its kind in Europe. With approximately 55 million tires scrapped in the UK each year, Wastefront’s full-cycle process will effectively address this pressing waste disposal challenge. International Airlines Group (IAG), the first airline group in Europe to commit to a 10% SAF utilization rate by 2030, announced its investment in Wastefront in January this year to support its growth.
Looking ahead, Wastefront plans to operate four large-scale plants by 2030, with a combined annual production capacity of 128,000 tons of oil, equivalent to approximately 90,000 tons of SAF, a project that not only promotes sustainable energy, but also reinvigorates the environment and the regional economy through innovative technology. The Sunderland plant, the first full-cycle tyre-to-fuel facility in the UK, demonstrates the enormous potential of waste-to-energy.
