ATLANTA — If you dispose of your scrap tires improperly, you are breaking the law. But there are legal ways to dispose of your unwanted tires.
You cannot take scrap tires to Georgia’s landfills. And you can’t keep them, either, as private citizens can only store up to 25 scrap tires at a time and can only transport 10 scrap tires at a time, per Georgia’s Rules for Solid Waste Management Rule 391-3-4-.19.
Dumping tires in the woods is also illegal but happens quite a bit anyway.
Channel 2’s Matt Johnson was in Lilburn where concerned residents showed him where hundreds of tires have been dumped near a trail.
Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach reported earlier this month that DeKalb County is seeking tougher laws for illegal tire dumping.
And DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that in 2025, workers have removed more than 37,000 illegally dumped tires.
Dumped tires are not just unsightly, they are a health and environmental threat.
You have several options, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division says:
- Recycling facilities
Review EPD’s list of permitted recycling processors, sorters, and retreading facilities list to find a facility near you.
Check with your local city or county recycling/collection center. You can use Earth911 to locate facilities near you that accept tires.
The CHaRM Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (Atlanta, Decatur, and Athens) accepts tires.
2. Local scrap tire collection events
3. Reach out to tire carriers
- Contact your local government and ask if there are any upcoming tire collection or amnesty events. These events are hosted by the local government and can be funded through a grant from EPD.
- Get involved! Encourage your local government to submit an application for the STAR Grant. Up to $75,000 per local government is available per year.
- Contact EPD-permitted tire carriers in your area.
- Permitted tire carriers can pick up your scrap tires and take them.
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