Turning Australia's tyre waste into farm fertiliser: a $500m bet on solving the urea shortage

Australia generates about 537,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres each year. A new $500 million project aims to recycle a portion of that waste into urea fertiliser, addressing both a growing tyre disposal problem and a domestic fertiliser shortage. The plan targets the 18,000 tonnes of agricultural tyre waste specifically, turning a costly waste stream into a resource for farmers. If it works, this approach could reduce the need for imported urea and cut emissions from tyre stockpiles and incineration. The key question is whether the economics and technology can scale. For anyone following circular economy or agricultural decarbonization, this is a concrete project worth watching.