Buying quality tires has never been easier, now you can buy pallets of fresh rubber to burn from the comfort of your couch. Now that you’ve got all this rubber to burn, you may find yourself with too many worn down, burnt tires. We know that you can only have so many tire swings hanging around in your front lawn, so what are you supposed to do with them?

Tires are one of the biggest headaches to dispose of properly. You can’t compact them, burning them is a huge environmental hazard, and they don’t degrade when they are buried. Because of this, most state governments have implemented laws and protocols for disposing of your rubber. Check out your local laws, and ordinances for any specific laws that may apply to you.

Recycling Centers

There are many recycling centers that will gladly accept your tires, to properly dispose of your used tires. Not every recycling center can accept tires, because recycling them requires specific equipment to do so. Many of these centers do regularly charge a fee when recycling tires, and some may have a tire limit, so it is recommended to call before coming to drop of your rubber. Many of these facilities also have tire amnesty days where they will accept your tires for free, which makes everyone happy.

Tire Shops

Many tire shops will dispose of your old rubber for you, for a fee. Most of the time these fees range anywhere from $5 - $20 per tire. So, if you’re dropping off a set be prepared to hand over some dough. Also, many of these tire shops have a limit as to how many tires they will accept, so it’s a good idea to check in with them before stopping by.

Local Municipalities

Some local municipalities have facilities to drop off your tires to. Like all the other options this may be associated with a fee, but it could also be the most convenient if you live in an area that has a program for this. Many municipality’s websites have a page dedicated to waist removal, and how to dispose of difficult items. This should be the first place you check out when looking for answers.

The Long & Short

The reality is that this that getting rid of your tires can be a hassle, and frankly even annoying. We all have been there, and almost feels like a sucker punch when paying to get rid of your tires. However, there is a good reason these fees are set in place. Because tires are so difficult to breakdown, they can pose numerous problems in disposal. You can’t compact them, so they take up too much space in landfills. You can’t incinerate them because of the toxic fumes the emit when burned. So, they have to be dealt with differently than your typical trash.

It can be tempting to take them out back and let them sit out of sight, and out of mind. However, rubber is flammable and could pose a major fire hazard over time. Tires left out in the elements, also become a huge breading ground for pests like mosquitoes and rats. No one wants that.

Some people think it’s a good idea to load ‘em up and dump them down a wooded hill. I mean who could it hurt, it’s in the middle of nowhere… right? Wrong, most likely you would be illegally dumping on either private property, or government protected lands. This is illegal in all 50 states and come with some hefty fines and possibly jail time. So, don’t do that. 

On the bright side, these facilities specialize in making old rubber new. Whether the rubber is melted down and sold back to tire companies, shredded to make rubberized mulch, or turned into a local running track, you can feel confident that you’re doing the right thing.

While Tire Streets doesn’t currently offer a buy back program at this time, we fully support the proper disposal of tires. We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have on the topic. You can DM us on Facebook or Instagram, or contact us here.