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Information
The management of scrap tires is now strictly controlled in Hall County
as part of the statewide effort to clean up illegal tire dumps both
large and small. In the past, tires were illegally disposed in ravines,
gullies, or down road banks. Sad to say, but such illegal dumps are
still seen today. However, they are on the decline, and you can help.
What can you do with your scrap tires?
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The best option is to leave the tires with your tire dealer. They
will see that the tires are properly managed. They may be chipped
for use as fuel for industrial boilers, drainage field aggregate
in home septic systems or used in manufacture of rubber products.
Tire retailers and the haulers that service them are highly regulated
by the state and monitored locally by Hall County/Gainesville Enforcement
Division to ensure compliance.
When you leave them with your dealer, chances are they will charge
you a fee to help cover their costs. This charge usually ranges
from $1.50 to $2 per tire. It's a small price to insure your tire
will be disposed of properly and you don't have to lug it home
or mess up your car doing so.
- If you should decide to keep your tires and have the tire retailer
load your used tires back into your car, you can choose to take
them to the Hall County Candler Road Landfill. If you go this
route, rest assured they will not be buried in the landfill. This
is prohibited by State law. Instead, they will be collected separately
for recycling. Charges at the landfill vary by tire size as follows:
- Less and 12" $1.50 each
- 12" to 18" $2.00 each
- 18" to 22.k" $5.00 each
- 22.5" to 24.5" $10.00 each
- over 24.5" not accepted
- Some may choose to dump their tires along our roadways, onto
others property, down road banks, etc. THIS IS ILLEGAL! It does
harm to the environment, property owners where the tires are dumped,
can cause a safety hazard and is surely not worth the risk. Illegal
dumping is a violation of County and City ordinances and violation
of State law punishable by fines up to $1,000 and 60 days in jail.
Is a savings of a few dollars worth the risk? Not only is this
illegal, it also does much harm. While tire fires are the most
widely publicized danger of tire dumps, other problems do exist,
such as disease carrying mosquitoes that breed in tires.
Every year tire fires occur across the nation at small, unregulated
tire dumps. Since 1971, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has estimated that at least 176 tire fires have occurred in
the United States. Some tire fires are produced by accidental causes
and some are deliberately set.
Waste tires and waste tire stockpiles are difficult to ignite. But
once on fire, tires burn very hot and are very difficult to extinguish.
In addition, the doughnut-shaped tire casings allow air drafts to
stoke the fire.
- Water
Using water to extinguish a tire fire is often a futile effort,
because an adequate water supply is usually unavailable. Also,
water sprayed on burning tires cools them down, producing an oily
run-off which can contaminate nearby furnace and groundwater.
- Foams
Using fire-retarding foams is another possible method to extinguish
a tire fire. Concentrated foams are mixed with water and sprayed
through a hose. But forms can contribute to the run-off problem
and are generally expensive to use due to the large amount needed
to put out a tire fire.
- Allowed to Burn
Sometimes tire fires are allowed to burn when they occur in isolated
areas away from surface water or population centers. However,
a large tire fire can smolder for several weeks or even months,
sometimes with dramatic effects on the surrounding environment.
In 1973, a 7-million-tire fire in Virginia burned for almost nine
months, polluting nearby water sources. The heat from the tire fires
caused some of the rubber to break down into an oily material. Prolonged
burning increases the likelihood of surface and groundwater pollution
by the oily material.
Along with their potential as fire hazards, tire stockpiles also
provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Because tires partially
fill with water regardless of their position and absorb sunlight,
they provide an ideal environment for hatched larvae. Although tire
dumps are sometimes associated with rodents, the primary problem
has been with various species of disease-carrying mosquitoes that
like to breed in tires. In fact, a certain mosquito that breeds
in tires is commonly referred to as the "tire pile mosquito".
At least two varieties of mosquitoes , Aedes triseriatus and Culex
pipiens, transmit three strains of encephalitis: LaCrosse encephalitis,
St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile encephalitis. Encephalitis
results in inflammation of the brain and can lead to coma, deafness
and death. Recently, a third mosquito is cause for concern.
This mosquito was introduced to the United States from Asia through
shipments of waste tires into Houston Texas, in 1985. Since then,
the mosquito has been transported throughout the United States via
waste tire shipments. The mosquito has been found as far north as
Chicago, Illinois. The infestation of the Asian Tiger mosquito is
considered serious because of its ability to transmit several diseases.
It is nicknamed for its aggressiveness when biting humans.
Please leave your tires with your retailer. It's easy, it's cheap
and you don't have to do anything. Or, you may take them to the
landfill.
Please don't dump your tires illegally!
Bobby Purdum
Resource Recovery Superintendent
 770.535.8284
 770.531.3966
 Email
Rick Foote
Recycling Coordinator/Marketing
770.531.7125
770.531.3966
Email
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1008 Chestnut Street
Gainesville, GA 30501
Mailing Address:
P.O. Drawer 1435
Gainesville, GA 30503
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