How to Dispose of Old Tires
Regulated separately in Pennsylvania, and refused almost everywhere else.
Pennsylvania regulates waste tires under the Waste Tire Recycling Act, and whole waste tires are generally not ordinary landfill material. Do not assume a landfill, transfer station, or curbside hauler will accept tires with household trash. The normal routes are returning them to a tire dealer when buying replacements, a licensed waste tire recycling facility, or a municipal or county tire collection event, usually for a per-tire fee.
Tires are the thing that sits in the corner of the garage for a decade because every obvious option turns them down. They are regulated separately in Pennsylvania, which is exactly why nobody will take them casually. Here is where they actually go.
Quick Facts
- PA law
- Waste Tire Recycling Act
- Curbside trash
- Do not assume acceptance
- Typical charge
- Per tire, varies by site
- Easiest route
- Dealer, when buying new
- Rims
- Ask, often priced differently
Your Options, Start to Finish
1.Leave them with the tire dealer
By far the easiest route. When you buy replacements, the shop takes the old ones and adds a disposal charge. You never handle them.
Only works at the point of purchase. Ask what the per-tire disposal charge is so it is not a surprise on the invoice, and ask before you load four old tires into the car to bring them back later.
2.Take them to a licensed waste tire facility
Tire recyclers and licensed waste tire facilities exist specifically for this and will take resident loads.
Confirm in advance that they accept four tires from a resident rather than commercial loads only, what the per-tire fee is, whether an appointment is needed, and whether tires on rims cost more.
3.Watch for a collection event
Municipal and county tire collection events run periodically and are often the cheapest route for a handful of tires.
They are scheduled and limited, usually require proof of residency, and cap the number of tires per household. You have to catch one when it runs.
4.Include them in a cleanout
If we are already clearing a garage, the tires go with it and get routed to a facility that takes them properly.
Tires carry a Pennsylvania disposal fee we pass through at cost, quoted before we start, because the recycler charges per tire regardless of who brings them.
Why tires get their own law
Whole tires do not compact and they float back up through a landfill over time, which is why they are regulated separately under Pennsylvania's Waste Tire Recycling Act and why a landfill that takes almost everything else will refuse them. They also collect standing water and breed mosquitoes, which is the public health half of the reason. None of that is a reason to hide them in a trash bag, and illegal tire dumping in Pennsylvania carries real penalties because cleaning up an abandoned tire pile is expensive.
Tires on rims are a different question
A tire mounted on a rim is worth something as scrap steel or aluminum in a way a bare tire is not, but it also has to be dismounted before the rubber can be processed. Some facilities charge more for tires on rims to cover that, and some scrap yards will take the whole assembly and handle it themselves. Either way, say on the phone whether yours are on rims, because it changes the price and sometimes changes which facility you want.
What it costs to get rid of four tires
There is a genuine per-tire recycling cost in Pennsylvania that every route passes along in some form, whether it is the dealer's disposal charge on your new-tire invoice, the facility's fee at the gate, or the line on a cleanout quote. That fee is not padding, it is what the recycler charges. What varies is the labor around it, which is why four tires in a driveway and four tires in the back of a basement are different jobs.
How to Dispose of Old Tires FAQs
Can I put old tires in the trash in Pennsylvania?
You should not assume so. Pennsylvania regulates waste tires under the Waste Tire Recycling Act, whole waste tires are generally not ordinary landfill material, and landfills, transfer stations, and curbside haulers commonly refuse them. Use a tire dealer, a licensed waste tire recycling facility, or a collection event instead.
What do I do with four old tires?
The easiest route is leaving them with the tire dealer when you buy replacements and paying their disposal charge. Failing that, call a tire recycler or licensed waste tire facility and confirm they take resident loads, what the per-tire fee is, and whether you need an appointment. A municipal or county tire collection event is the cheapest option when one is scheduled.
Why does it cost money to get rid of tires?
Because tires cannot be landfilled as ordinary waste and have to be processed, usually shredded for fuel or crumb rubber, and that processing has a real per-tire cost. Every route passes that along somewhere: as the dealer's disposal charge, the facility's gate fee, or a line on a cleanout quote.
Do you charge extra for tires on a cleanout?
Yes, and we tell you before we start. Tires carry a Pennsylvania disposal fee, usually around $5 to $15 each depending on size, and we pass that through at cost rather than marking it up. Count the tires when you call so it is in the quote rather than a surprise at the end.
Can I just leave tires at the curb?
No. Leaving tires beside a trash container or at an unauthorized drop-off is illegal dumping in Pennsylvania and carries penalties, because abandoned tire piles are expensive to clean up and are a mosquito and fire hazard. If nobody has picked them up, they are still your tires.
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Disposing of old tires in Pennsylvania. Waste tires are regulated under Pennsylvania's Waste Tire Recycling Act, and whole waste tires are generally not ordinary landfill material, so landfills, transfer stations, and curbside haulers commonly refuse them. Routes for a resident with four tires: return them to a tire dealer when buying replacements and pay the disposal charge, take them to a licensed waste tire recycling facility, or use a municipal or county tire collection event. Confirm per-tire fees, appointment requirements, and whether tires on rims cost more. Leaving tires at the curb or an unauthorized site is illegal dumping and carries penalties. Steel City Cleanouts takes tires as part of a cleanout and passes through the Pennsylvania disposal fee, usually $5 to $15 each, at cost. Call (412) 226-4500.
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