This article describes BRC Environmental Services' new method of airless pyrolysis for destroying scrap tyres. The process shreds the tyres mechanically, then subjects them to anaerobic heat treatment. The vapour from the heating is separated into fuel gas and oil product. The solid residue is crushed and separated magnetically into steel for recycling and a carbon product. The tyre disposal plants, using this process, have no stack emissions, and no releases of environmentally hazardous substances. The key to their improved performance, compared with that of other pyrolytic processes, is the use of microwave heating which eliminates the solids-handling problems of alternative processes. The process is also very energy- efficient. The carbon product has consistently high quality, and can be used as an activated carbon in a wide range of applications. The plants are economically viable from a size of 5000t per year upwards, and can thus be sited near used tyre stockpiles. The high value of their byproducts ensures that the plants are very profitable, and the process does not depend on disposal charges for collecting tyres. The likely payback period is estimated to range from about four years at worst to about two years at best. For the covering abstract see IRRD 861693.