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SCRAP TIRES IN MISSOURI
An environment free of scrap tires is important to the public health of all Missouri citizens.
The removal of scrap tires in Missouri is a priority for the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources.
Missouri citizens generate approximately five million scrap tires annually.
A scrap tire fee of 50 cents per tire on purchases of new tires was created in 1990. More than
15 million tires have been cleaned up.
To put that number into perspective, the average car tire is 25 inches in diameter. If laid
side by side along Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City, the 15 million tires
would be stacked almost 24 feet in height.
Department employees enforce laws that regulate the handling, storage and disposal of scrap
tires. Tire businesses licensed by the state are held to strict standards to ensure legal
destinations and to avoid illegal dumping. Tire dump photos
Regulations for tire hauling and disposal have been strengthened. Records of tire haulers
are reviewed on a regular basis.
Thousands of scrap tires in illegal dump sites still pose a hazard. Scrap tires harbor mosquitoes,
snakes and other vermin.
Scrap tires are a dangerous fire hazard and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Some mosquitoes
may carry the West Nile virus. Missouri had its first documented human cases of West Nile
virus in 2002. Since that time, 58 percent of Missouri’s 114 counties have had documented
human cases.
Once a scrap tire pile begins to burn it can smolder for months and is difficult to extinguish.
Fires from scrap tires release hazardous substances into the air and when the oil seeps from the
tires, it can seep into groundwater sources creating environmental problems and leaves
tremendous scarring on the land.
On March 11, 2005, an illegal tire dump in Polk County containing an estimated 780,000
tires blazed for several months in an abandoned quarry near Bolivar. Nineteen area fire departments,
mostly volunteers, battled the blaze for days before deciding to let the fire burn out by
itself. The fire burned so intensely that some equipment and hoses used by the firefighters
were destroyed by the heat.
As of June 2008, approximately 300,000 tires are known to remain in 146 scrap tire sites.
Tire industry representatives have been working with the department to help discover illegal
disposal activities.
The department estimates an additional half a million scrap tires will be discovered during
fiscal year 2009. The cost of cleaning up dumps will only increase.
The scrap tire fee expired on Jan. 1, 2004. The department eliminated its inspection and
enforcement activities and later witnessed two large tire fires that occurred in the
state. Another illegal dumping scene
Without enforcement during this nearly two-year period, the department estimates nearly half
a million tires were illegally dumped.
The scrap tire fee was later re-instated by the legislature and once again became effective
in 2005.
Missouri’s tire fee was renewed in 2009 to ensure funding for cleanups until 2015.
Missouri’s current fee is 50 cents per tire, is the third lowest fee in the country. Fees
range from 25 cents per tire to $2.50 per tire in some states.
By preventing new tire dumps, efforts can be directed toward promoting existing markets
and developing innovative end uses for scrap tires.
Tires can be recycled rather than dumping or placing in a landfill. There are many ways
tires can be used after they are removed from an automobile.
Tires are valuable as a source of energy when mixed with coal as tire-derived fuel. The
University of Missouri Columbia power plant has been using tire-derived fuel for more
than 10 years. This has resulted in reducing the university’s smokestack emissions by
250 tons per year and has saved $100,000 per year in fuel expenses.
Up to five percent of the scrap tire fee is used annually for playground material grants.
Crumb rubber can be used as cushioning on playgrounds and running tracks, reducing the
number and severity of injuries. Playground surfacing can include mats, custom pour-in-place
and shredded tire material. Virtually hundreds of products can be made from the rubber in
scrap tires.
The Tire Dump Roundup is funded from the state’s 50-cent-per-tire scrap tire fee. If you have
between 500 and 10,000 tires on your private property and want to
dispose of them properly you an opportunity to have those tires cleaned
up free of charge. If the property owners meet the criteria, they will be eligible to
have the scrap tires cleaned up by the Missouri Department of Corrections’ Missouri Vocational
Enterprises without paying any costs to the department.
For more information about the Tire Dump Roundup, contact the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources at 800-361-4827 or 573-526-3909. Visit us on the Web at www.dnr.mo.gov.