1. science
2. ecology
3. waste management
4. recycling

Annual Report to the
Washington State
Legislature on Tires
May 2011
Publication No. 11-07-013
Publication and Contact Information
This report is available on the Department of Ecology’s website at
www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/1107013.html.
For more information contact:
Waste 2 Resources Program
P.O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600
Phone: 360-407-6900
Washington State Department of Ecology - www.ecy.wa.gov
o
o
o
o
o
Headquarters, Olympia
Northwest Regional Office, Bellevue
Southwest Regional Office, Olympia
Central Regional Office, Yakima
Eastern Regional Office, Spokane
360-407-6000
425-649-7000
360-407-6300
509-575-2490
509-329-3400
If you need this document in a format for the visually impaired, call the Waste 2 Resources Program
at 360-407-6900. Persons with hearing loss can call 711 for Washington Relay Service. Persons
with a speech disability can call 877-833-6341.
Annual Report to the
Washington State Legislature on Tires
by
Kara Steward
Waste 2 Resources Program
Washington State Department of Ecology
Olympia, Washington
This page is purposely left blank
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 1
Tire Recycling and Reuse - 2009 ......................................................................................................... 2
Annual Tire Generation, Recycling and Reuse Details .................................................................... 3
Baled Tires ................................................................................................................................... 3
Landfill Disposal .......................................................................................................................... 3
Recycled Tires .............................................................................................................................. 3
Retreaded Tires ............................................................................................................................ 3
Tire-Derived Fuel ......................................................................................................................... 4
Generation of Waste Tires............................................................................................................ 4
Waste Tire Pile Cleanups 2007-10 ....................................................................................................... 5
Tire Pile Cleanup Status ................................................................................................................... 5
Annual Averages for Tire Pile Cleanups .......................................................................................... 7
Recycling and Reuse of Tire Pile Cleanup Tires ............................................................................. 8
Waste Tire Pile Prevention Program .................................................................................................... 9
New Unauthorized Waste Tire Piles ................................................................................................ 9
Authorized Waste Tire Storage and Hauling ................................................................................. 10
Waste Tire Removal Account Funding Status ............................................................................... 11
Waste Tire Program Needs Assessment......................................................................................... 12
Tire Program Recommendations .................................................................................................... 13
Background on Waste Tire Pile Cleanups 1989 - 1998 ................................................................. 15
List of Figures, Maps & Tables
Page
Figure 2.1 -- Final Use of Cleanup Tires ............................................................................................. 8
Map 2.1 -- Completed Tire Pile Cleanups in Washington 2007-10 ..................................................... 7
Table 1.1 -- Summary of Annual Tire Generation, Recycling and Reuse ........................................... 2
Table 2.1 -- Tire Pile Cleanups 2007-10 .............................................................................................. 6
Table 2.2 -- Summary of Completed Tire Pile Cleanups by Calendar Year ........................................ 7
Table 3.1 -- Locally Funded Tire Efforts 2010 .................................................................................... 9
Table 3.2 -- Identified Waste Tire Piles ............................................................................................. 10
Table 3.3 -- Licensed Waste Tire Storage and Haulers ...................................................................... 11
Table 3.4 -- Waste Tire Removal Revenue and Expenditures – All Agencies .................................. 12
Table 3.5 -- Waste Tire Removal Account Appropriations and Expenditures – Ecology Only ........ 12
Table 3.6 -- Needs Assessment – Tire Project Applications .............................................................. 13
Table 3.7 -- Tire Pile Cleanup 1990-98 .............................................................................................. 15
Executive Summary
The Washington State Department of Ecology’s Waste 2 Resources Program has issued the Annual
Report to the Washington State Legislature on Tires since 2002.
The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 70.95.545 requires Ecology to report the increase or
reduction in tire recycling and reuse rates in the state. The first section of this report tracks changes
in those rates from 2002-09. The data provides overall and annual snapshots of tire recycling and
reuse in Washington. Comparisons of 2008 to 2009 totals include an increase in tire reuse (baled,
retreaded, and used for fuel) from 21 percent of the annual total to 29 percent. The percentage of
tires landfilled remained unchanged at 31 percent for each year. Tire recycling decreased slightly in
2009 compared to 2008, from 47 percent of the annual total to 39 percent.
RCW 70.95.530 requires Ecology to report on waste tire pile cleanup. As the second section of this
report explains, Ecology’s Waste Tire Cleanup Program funded seven cleanup contracts from May
2007 to September 2010. These efforts removed more than 5 million tires from 175 waste tire piles
from 30 counties across the state. Ecology spent $9.5 million in Waste Tire Removal Account
funds and recycled more than 80 percent of tires.
In addition, RCW 70.95.530 requires Ecology to report on:
Tire pile prevention.
Newly identified unauthorized tire piles.
Licensed waste tire piles and transporters.
Waste Tire Removal Account status.
The RCW also requires Ecology to provide a program needs assessment and recommendations.
The third section of this document details local tire enforcement efforts funded with the Waste Tire
Removal Account. This section also lists known waste tire piles and licensed tire transporters.
The status of the Waste Tire Removal Account fund is provided through the end of 2010. Demand
for these funds from local governments is detailed, identifying the need for the program.
Ecology recommends continued allocation of $1 million per biennium. Ecology will use this
funding for new and continued waste tire pile prevention efforts at the local level.
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Annual Tires Report
Tire Recycling and Reuse - 2009
Each year the Washington State Department of Ecology collects
data on tire recycling and reuse (RCW 70.95.545). This annual
report summarizes the increase or reduction in the rates of
recycling and reuse since 2002. The Legislature received
Ecology’s first Scrap Tire Report in 2002.
“The department of ecology, in
conjunction with the appropriate private
sector stakeholders, shall track and
report annually to the legislature the
total increase or reduction of tire
recycling or reuse rates in the state for
each calendar year and for the
cumulative calendar years from
June 13, 2002.” RCW 70.95.545
Recycling, reuse, disposal and generation data in this section
come from various sources:
Annual disposal reports from landfills, transfer stations, drop boxes, tire haulers, tire businesses
and tire storage sites.
Reports and survey responses from recycling facilities.
Tire cleanup program tracking data.
Vehicle registration data used to estimate waste tire generation.
Table 1.1 provides recycling, reuse, disposal and generation data from 2002-09. The totals include
Ecology Tire Pile Cleanup Program efforts from May 2007 to September 2010. In 2009, the tire
pile cleanup program removed more than 11,607 tons of tires from legacy scrap piles (92 percent
recycled or reused – see Table 2.2). Section 2 of this report details the tire pile cleanup efforts
through November 2010 (page 5). Here are overall trends for 2008-09:
Increase in reuse of tires (baled, retreaded, and tire derived fuel) from 21 percent of the 2008
total, to 29 percent of the 2009 total reported.
Landfilling remained unchanged at 31 percent of each annual total.
Recycling decreased from 47 percent of the annual 2008 total to 39 percent in 2009.
Table 1.1
Summary of Annual Tire Generation, Recycling and Reuse
2002
Tons
2003
Tons
2004
Tons
2005
Tons
2006
Tons
2007
Tons
2008
Tons
2009
Tons
Baled Tires*
Landfill Disposal
Recycled Tires
Retreaded Tires
Tire Derived Fuel
21,273
27,102
1,170
2,817
22,226
27,753
12,976
9,664
15,246
37,568
251
15,400
22,446
46,483
4,089
5,167
7,702
33,697
23,532
5,579
9,250
9,660
50,703
27,869
4,764
16,735
5,912
26,590
40,124
3,829
8,440
9,672
28,834
35,439
6,164
10,725
Total Reported
Difference between
reported and
generated
Generation**
52,362
72,619
68,465
78,185
79,760
109,731
84,895
90,895
28,626
11,267
12,301
5,707
5,594
-22,753
2,488
-3,845
80,988
83,886
80,766
83,892
85,354
86,978
87,383
87,050
Used/Waste Tires
* Baled tires are not reported for 2002-05
** Based on number of vehicles registered in Washington
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Annual Tires Report
Annual Tire Generation, Recycling and Reuse Details
Following are more detailed descriptions for each category shown in Table 1.1.
Baled Tires
Recycling reports have separated out tire bales used in construction since 2006. A tire bale contains
about 100 passenger tires compressed into a block wrapped with galvanized steel bands. Tire bales
can take the place of other fill materials at some construction sites. Tire bales can be used in road
base, noise reduction walls, erosion control, firing ranges and racetrack walls. In 2009, construction
projects used 9,672 tons of tire bales, a 64 percent increase from 2008.
Landfill Disposal
Tires are a problem in landfills because they are difficult to compact and do not decompose easily.
Tires take up valuable landfill space. Over time whole tires can float to the top, working their way
up through waste and soil. Tires disposed of in landfills are usually shredded or at least cut in half
before disposal. In 2009, landfilled tires included 28,834 tons of tires, an 8 percent increase from
2008. Totals from 2007 to 2010 include Ecology tire pile cleanup efforts, which occurred from
May 2007 to November 2010.
Recycled Tires
Tires can be recycled by grinding up the rubber and remolding it for other purposes. Some uses of
ground rubber include groundcover under playground equipment, running track material, and
components of sports and playing fields. Tires can also be cut, punched or stamped into various
rubber products, including floor mats, belts, gaskets, shoe soles, dock bumpers, seals, muffler
hangers, shims and washers.
The ground rubber product market has shown the greatest growth in recycled tire materials.
However, the conversion to synthetic field turfs for football, soccer and other playing surfaces will
be limited by the finite number of athletic fields. The cut, punched and stamped rubber products
market is limited to tires that do not have steel belts, known as “bias-ply” tires. There is a limited
supply of bias-ply tires available for this market.
The amount of tires reported as recycled is based on tire business reports and recycling facility
surveys. During the first few years of collecting these reports, we found that some businesses
included retreaded tires as recycled. That may be the reason for the high recycling totals reported in
2004 and 2005. In 2009, recycled tires used 35,439 tons of tires, a 12 percent decrease from 2008.
Retreaded Tires
Retreaded tires contain up to 75 percent recycled content. Manufacturing one new truck tire takes
22 gallons of oil. Most of the oil is found in the casing. The retreading process places a new tread
on the old tire casing. As a result, it takes only seven gallons of oil to produce a retread.
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Annual Tires Report
Reported tire retread data show retreading varied greatly between 2002 and 2006. During the early
years, some businesses combined several categories together in their reports to Ecology. The spike
in 2003 was because some tire companies combined some recycled and retreaded tires into the
retread category. Then in 2004, some tire company reports included retreaded tires in the recycled
category. The retread data shown after 2005 provide a more reliable data trend. In 2009, there were
6,164 tons of retreaded tires, a 61 percent increase from 2008.
Tire-Derived Fuel
Because of their high heating value, waste tires make good fuel. Tire-derived fuel (TDF) can
provide up to 15,000 British thermal units (BTUs) per pound, which is more than coal, oil or wood.
Burning waste tires is not recycling (under the state’s definition), but we consider it a higher use
than landfilling. Tires serve as fuel either shredded or whole, depending on the type of conveyor or
combustion device.
In Washington, only one cement kiln currently uses whole tires as fuel. The high BTUs provided
by tires allow a cement plant to reduce use of other fuel sources, which results in cost savings.
Cement kilns operate at very high temperatures (around 2,600°F) and have long residence times.
This results in complete combustion of the tires. The metal in the steel belted tires combines with
the cement product. Compared to coal, use of tires in cement kilns has been reported to lower some
nitrogen oxide emissions.
Most operations that use TDF have tires delivered and stored onsite in trailers. Those tires are
delivered directly into the combustion device from the trailer. This eliminates outdoor storage of
tires in any kind of pile. Outdoor tire storage requires a storage and handling plan, permits for all
applicable state and federal environmental programs, and compliance with all the permit
requirements.
In 2009, use of TDF included 10,725 tons of tires, a 27 percent increase from 2008. The increase in
demand for TDF in 2009 is due to overseas market demand from Japan, China, Korea, and
Vietnam.
Generation of Waste Tires
In Washington, we base the annual generation of used tires on the number and types of vehicles
licensed in the state, using data from the Washington Department of Licensing in Report 07 - Motor
Vehicle Transactions by Class. The national average is one used tire a year from each passenger
vehicle. The national average for other vehicles such as trucks, trailers or motorcycles is less than
one, ranging from 0.25 to 0.4 used tires a year. We applied these percentages to the number of
vehicle types registered to estimate the total number of used tires generated.
The 6.9 million vehicles licensed in Washington in 2009 generated more than 5 million used tires.
Based on average vehicle tire weights, that number of tires equals 87,050 tons of waste tires
generated in 2009, which is not a significant change from 2008 (less than 1 percent decrease).
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Annual Tires Report
Waste Tire Pile Cleanups 2007-10
In 2005, the Washington State Legislature passed Substitute House Bill (SHB) 2085, creating the
Waste Tire Removal Account (08R) to fund cleanup of unauthorized, unlicensed tire piles. Funds
for this account come from a $1 fee charged on each new replacement tire sold in Washington. The
2009 Legislature removed the sunset on this fee and allocated an annual budget of $500,000 to
Ecology (Senate Bill 5796).
The balance of the account transfers to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Motor
Vehicle Account on September 1 of odd numbered years. The following subsections report on the
information requested in RCW 70.95.530 (see highlighted text in box).
Chapter 70.95.530 RCW states (emphasis added): “ On September 1st of even-numbered
years, the department of ecology shall provide a report to the house [of representatives] and
senate transportation committees on the progress being made on the cleanup of unauthorized
waste tire piles in the state and efforts underway to prevent the formation of future
unauthorized waste tire piles. The report must detail any additional unauthorized waste tire
piles discovered since the last report and present a plan to clean up these new unauthorized
waste tire piles if they have not already done so, as well as include a listing of authorized
waste tire piles and transporters. The report must also include the status of funds available
to the program and a needs assessment of the program. On September 1, 2010, the
department shall also make recommendations to the committees for an ongoing program to
prevent the formation of future unauthorized waste tire piles. Such a program, if required,
must include joint efforts with local governments and the tire industry.”
Tire Pile Cleanup Status
The Waste Tire Removal Account funded seven cleanup contracts starting in May 2007 through
September 2010. These contract efforts removed more than 5 million tires from 175 waste tire piles
in 30 counties across the state (1 ton of tires is about 100 passenger tires). These removal efforts
took nearly 5.5 million tires from piles to reuse or disposal. Common recycling and reuse of waste
tire materials includes crumb rubber, stamped rubber bumpers, tire rings, fuel for cement kilns and
scrap steel (wheel rims). These tire pile removals include all the remaining unauthorized tire piles
identified in the 2005 Report to the Legislature (Ecology Publication 507043).
Table 2.1 provides a summary listed by county of the completed tire removals using the Waste Tire
Removal Account funding. The cost of all removals, total tons removed, and amount of tires
recycled are listed in the table. Map 2.1 shows approximate locations of these tire cleanup efforts,
including one dot for the 14 sites located in and around Goldendale (Klickitat County). The cost of
tire pile cleanup averaged $172 per ton (approximately $1.72 per tire) across all 175 pile removals.
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Annual Tires Report
Table 2.1
Tire Pile Cleanups 2007-10
County
Adams
Benton
Chelan
Clallam
Clark
Cowlitz
Franklin
Grant
Grays Harbor
Island
Jefferson
King
Kitsap
Kittitas
Klickitat
Lewis
Lincoln
Mason
Okanogan
Pend Oreille
Pierce
Skagit
Snohomish
Spokane
Stevens
Thurston
Walla Walla
Whatcom
Whitman
Yakima
TOTAL
Publication 11-07-013
Sites
Tons
1
8
4
7
3
5
5
14
11
1
7
11
2
6
17
13
7
6
2
3
8
1
4
5
1
5
3
4
1
10
175
213
1,044
814
1,321
742
331
1,293
2,636
1,620
43
1,046
2,233
249
965
21,489
6,390
747
1,303
557
213
823
62
486
1,399
97
1,225
415
237
278
4,560
54,832
6
Cost
$ 51,659
$ 227,252
$ 188,400
$ 368,883
$ 144,209
$ 70,011
$ 326,819
$ 707,921
$ 289,573
$ 7,852
$ 221,390
$ 418,061
$ 42,630
$ 242,169
$ 2,464,005
$ 1,036,278
$ 236,396
$ 237,354
$ 157,635
$ 26,693
$ 158,789
$ 13,154
$ 127,258
$ 277,789
$ 23,367
$ 244,165
$ 105,445
$ 61,784
$ 50,652
$ 921,052
$ 9,448,644
% Recycled
100%
84%
72%
78%
94%
93%
91%
78%
92%
100%
78%
91%
99%
100%
13%
39%
92%
97%
99%
98%
95%
91%
92%
100%
100%
97%
88%
73%
66%
20%
84%
Annual Tires Report
Map 2.1
Completed Tire Pile Cleanups in Washington 2007-10
Annual Averages for Tire Pile Cleanups
Table 2.2 provides a breakdown by year for cleanup activities listed in Table 2.1. The high cost per
site experienced in 2007 is due to several very large cleanups conducted at the start of the program.
The largest tire pile cleanup was at the Goldendale tire pile which contained more than two million
tires. More than 200,000 tires were removed from each site at the Pumphouse Road, Petty and
Napavine cleanups. Excluding those four large cleanup efforts, tire pile size across the state
averaged 15,600 tires with a median size of 9,000 tires.
Table 2.2
Summary of Completed Tire Pile Cleanups by Calendar Year
(1 ton of tires = 100 passenger tires)
Year
Sites
Recycled or
Reused
32,671
55%
Tons
$4,300,079
Average
Cost/site
$165,388
Average
Cost/ton
$132
Total Cost
2007
26
2008
53
8,324
86%
$1,933,954
$ 36,490
$232
2009
82
11,607
92%
$2,615,801
$ 31,900
$225
2010
14
2,230
80%
$ 598,810
$ 42,774
$269
Total
175
54,832
> 80%
$9,448,664
$ 53,992
$172
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Annual Tires Report
Recycling and Reuse of Tire Pile Cleanup Tires
Figure 2.1 shows recycling, reuse and landfilling of cleanup program tires all cleanups completed
between 2007 and 2010. The first column in the graphic shows the ultimate use or disposal of all
tires collected during the four-year cleanup efforts. A higher proportion of tires were landfilled
during the 2007 cleanups (79 percent), shown in the second column. The third column represents
the last 3 years of cleanup work (2008-10), and shows the lower percentage of landfilled tires (12
percent).
Figure 2.1
Final Use of Cleanup Tires
100%
3%
2%
90%
Percentage of Cleanup Tires
80%
1%
5%
28%
70%
61%
60%
79%
50%
40%
52%
12%
30%
20%
10%
25%
18%
13%
0%
2007-2010: 175 sites
54,381 tons
Recycled
Publication 11-07-013
2007: 26 sites
32,670 tons
Landfilled
Fuel use
8
2008-10: 149 sites
22,161 tons
Civil Eng use
Annual Tires Report
Waste Tire Pile Prevention Program
In May 2010, Ecology allocated funding not committed to cleanup contracts to local waste tire
efforts. Waste tire pile prevention activities were the priority for these local efforts. Individual
agreements are in place with the 16 public entities listed in Table 3.1. One project does not have a
tire pile prevention or removal focus: Washington State University’s proposal to do a literature
review and feasibility study of tire shred use in civil engineering projects.
Requests for funding usually involve hosting local amnesty events for private citizens and providing
education for proper waste tire management. Several counties are offering selected property owners
vouchers for free tire drop-off and providing followup enforcement. One county will conduct
enforcement visits at Ecology funded cleanup sites to confirm proper waste tire management.
Table 3.1
Locally Funded Tire Efforts 2010
Organization
Colville Confederated Tribe
Jefferson County Health
Benton County Mosquito Control
Lewis County Solid Waste
Kitsap County Solid Waste
Skagit County Public Health
Snohomish County Solid Waste
WSU Civil Engineering
Whitman County Solid Waste
King County Solid Waste
Grays Harbor County Health
Spokane Tribe
Moses Lake Irrigation District
Walla Walla City/County
Whatcom County Health
Mason County Health
Total Expected Cost
Cost
Prevention
$ 78,625
10,350
4,187
4,085
42,566
10,000
18,208
18,800
9,300
4,500
13,225
5,000
1,500
11,020
25,020
5,000
$ 261,386
Removal Education
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
New Unauthorized Waste Tire Piles
Table 3.2 contains Ecology’s list of currently identified waste tire piles in Washington. This list
includes sites identified by private property owners inquiring about tire removal funding from
Ecology. Some of these property owners may have already removed the tires. Some of the sites
could be included in local tire efforts at the discretion of the public entity applying for the funding.
For example, one unauthorized tire pile identified in 2009 (Quinault community tire pile) is
currently included in the Grays Harbor County Health local project funded by the Waste Tire
Removal Account.
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Annual Tires Report
Table 3.2
Identified Waste Tire Piles
Site Name
Welch tire pile
Nelson tire pile
Bellamy tire pile
Beach cleanup
Cole tire pile
Ackerman tire pile
Constantine tire pile
Matchett tire pile
Ethel tire pile
Centralia tire pile
King tire pile
Stolen tire pile
Anderson tire pile
Graham tire pile
NE Tri-County Site
Scamhorn tire pile
Sundland Bark & Topsoil
Qualco Energy
Hendrickson tire pile
Stella tire pile
Nisqually Land Trust
Rents tire pile
Chapman tire pile
Filan tire pile
Yakima Training Center
County
Clallam
Clallam
Grant
Grays Harbor
Grays Harbor
Jefferson
King
Lewis
Lewis
Lewis
Lincoln
Mason
Pacific
Pend Oreille
Pend Oreille
Pierce
Skagit
Snohomish
Snohomish
Spokane
Thurston
Thurston
Thurston
Walla Walla
Yakima
City
Agnew
Forks
Moses Lake
Aberdeen
Oakville
Quilcene
Ravensdale
Glenoma
Ethel
Centralia
Davenport
Shelton
Long Beach
Newport
Newport
Buckley
Anacortes
Monroe
Snohomish
Elk
Nisqually
Olympia
Tumwater
Walla Walla
Yakima
Authorized Waste Tire Storage and Hauling
There is one authorized waste tire storage site in Washington. The operation has a solid waste
handling permit from Skagit County Health Department. The permit limits storage at a maximum
of 10,000 tire bales on the property. The operation also has a waste tire storage license and posted
financial assurance sufficient to pay for removal of all collected tires by a third party.
There are 13 waste tire haulers licensed to operate in Washington (Table 3.3). Each of these
operations obtained a waste tire carrier license from the Department of Licensing and also posted a
$10,000 bond. Businesses that use company owned vehicles to transport their own waste tires for
the purposes of disposal, retreading or recycling are not required to obtain a waste tire carrier
license (WAC 173-350-350).
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Annual Tires Report
Table 3.3
Licensed Waste Tire Storage and Haulers
Waste Tire Storage
*UBI Number
License Expires
297 004 683
601 222 460
3/31/2011
1/31/2011
Waste Tire Haulers
UBI Number
License Expires
Enviro-Tire Inc. Kalispell, MT
L&S Tire Company Spokane, WA
Lakin Tire West Inc Santa Fe Springs, CA
Larry’s Auto & Truck Parts, Inc. Burlington, WA
Los Gavilones, Vancouver, WA
Rubber Granulators, Marysville, WA
The Tire Depot, Polson, MT
Tire Disposal & Recycling, Inc. Seattle, WA
Tire Disposal Co, Inc. Molalla, OR
Tire Dogs, Inc. Lacey, WA
Tire Shredders, Inc. Goldendale, WA
Washington Used Tire and Wheel, Inc. Puyallup, WA
602 879 404
601 988 813
600 341 245
297 004 683
602 433 710
600 316 292
602 845 744
601 911 765
601 181 257
602 241 368
601 222 460
601 312 013
11/30/2010
10/31/2010
6/30/2011
3/31/2011
10/30/2010
4/30/2011
4/30/2011
11/30/2009
5/31/2011
10/31/2010
1/31/2011
4/30/2011
Larry’s Auto & Truck Parts, Inc. Burlington, WA
Tire Shredders, Inc. Goldendale, WA
*UBI –Unified Business Identifier
Waste Tire Removal Account Funding Status
A $1 fee on the sale of new replacement tires funds the Waste Tire Removal Account (Fund 08R).
Tire retailers started collecting the fee on July 1, 2005 (Fiscal Year 2006 is July 1, 2005 to June 30,
2006). The tire fee is not collected on the sale of tires to the federal government that are exempt
from sales tax; sale of tires delivered to enrolled tribal members living on recognized Native
American reservations; or sale of retreaded vehicle tires, or tires provided free of charge under the
terms of a recall or a warranty service (WAC 458-20-272). If a customer returns a tire and refunded
the entire selling price, the $1 tire fee is refundable as well.
Table 3.4 provides details on the fee collection, expenditures and transfers. Expenses by the
Department of Revenue relate to setup and oversight of the fee collection. Ecology’s expenses
include management of tire pile cleanups, funding of local tire projects, outreach and education for
proper waste tire management, and technical assistance to businesses and local government. The
table shows funds transferred in 2009 to the Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT) “. . . motor vehicle account for the purpose of road wear related maintenance on state
and local public highways . . .” (RCW 70.95.532). The table provides a cumulative account balance
for each fiscal year and shows the fund status at the end of Fiscal Year 2010.
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Annual Tires Report
Table 3.4
Waste Tire Removal Revenue and Expenditures – All Agencies
Actual
Expenditures
Transfer to
WSDOT
Tire Fee
Account
Balance
Fiscal Year
Tire Fee
Collection
2006
$ 3,193,007
$ 202,405
-0-
$2,990,602
2007
3,789,059
685,474
-0-
6,094,187
2008
3,802,147
4,521,302
-0-
5,375,032
2009
3,602,051
2,716,345
$5,600,000
660,738
2010
3,631,646
1,639,451
169,827
2,483,106
Total
$18,017,910
$9,764,977
$5,769,827
$2,483,106
Table 3.5 details Waste Tire Removal Account revenue, expenditures and ending fund balance for
each fiscal year. The Legislature authorizes Ecology’s appropriation biennially. Expenditures are
supported by revenue from the waste tire removal fee. Unspent appropriations at the end of each
biennium (odd numbered years) are reappropriated into the ensuing biennium per legislative
authority. Ecology’s fund balance at the end of Fiscal Year 2010 (June 30, 2010) totaled $544,926.
Ecology continues to use the biennial appropriation of $1 million to fund local tire projects (RCW
70.95.532).
Table 3.5
Waste Tire Removal Account Appropriations and Expenditures – Ecology Only
Fiscal Year
2006
2007
2008
2009
Capital
Appropriation
Actual
Expenditures
$4,000,000
-05,000,000
-0-
Appropriation
Balance
$ 35,057
$3,964,943
665,774
3,299,169
4,520,302
3,778,867
2,715,345
1,063,522
2010
1,000,000
1,638,451
425,071
Total
$10,000,000
$9,574,929
$ 425,071
Waste Tire Program Needs Assessment
In 2010, Ecology inquired local governments and other public entities about the need for funding
tire projects that prevent accumulation of tire piles. Available funding in 2010 was limited to the
balance remaining after completion of the final tire pile cleanup contract. Requests for funding
from public entities exceeded the available $260,000. Additional requests for consideration of
waste tire projects were received at Ecology after the 2010 funds were fully committed. These
unfunded requests represent future needs for waste tire program funding.
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Annual Tires Report
The 16 organizations that received funding in 2010 (refer to Table 3.1) represent a small fraction of
the nearly 500 organizations in the state that could apply for this funding. Ecology collaborated
with counties, cities, tribes, districts, and universities for the 2010 funding efforts. Future tire
funding allocation will continue into the next biennium for public entities to complete local waste
tire projects. The initial tire funding effort in 2010 supported a very limited number of the public
project across the state: only 16 of the nearly 500 public entities (about 3 percent).
There are 39 counties; 281 cities and towns; 30 federally recognized tribes; 41 universities and
community colleges; and 96 other districts (conservation, irrigation and mosquito control) that
qualify for Ecology funded tire projects. It is safe to assume there are many more local
governments with needs for tire funding (refer to the unfunded projects in Table 3.6). There is
definitely an ongoing need to provide funds to local government for similar waste tire pile
prevention efforts. Ecology tire funding ($1 million biennially) will continue to be allocated to
local governments (and other public entities) for waste tire cleanup and prevention projects.
Tire Program Recommendations
Ecology recommends that the current allocation of $1 million per biennium continue. There is
demand for this funding from local governments for waste tire cleanup and prevention projects.
Projects using the 2010 funds are listed in Table 3.6. The other project requests included in Table
3.6 show the variety of projects across the state that could be funded in the 2011-13 Biennium.
Table 3.6
Needs Assessment – Tire Project Applications
Summary of Tire Project Applications
2010 Funded Applications
Colville Confederated Tribe: $78,625 for removal of waste tires collected from tribal members
during reservation cleanup.
Jefferson County Health: $10,350 for a one-day weekend tire amnesty event for south county
residents. Include outreach at solid waste complaint sites and roadside cleanup. Provide
educational materials to all attendees for future proper tire management.
Benton County Mosquito Control: $4,187 to support the 2011 Tire Drive for county residents to
drop off tires for free. Removal of mosquito breeding habitat is a priority for Benton County.
Lewis County Solid Waste: $4,085 to host a one-day east county tire collection event. This will
provide support to the remote part of the county.
Kitsap County Solid Waste: $42,556 to host a one-month tire collection effort. Residents of
North Mason County are eligible for this effort.
Skagit County Public Health: $10,000 for tire vouchers that waive landfill disposal fees for
priority tire cleanups (determined by county staff). Followup enforcement efforts by staff.
Snohomish County Solid Waste: $18,208 for two tire amnesty events; each resident limited to
drop off 20 tires free of charge.
WSU Civil Engineering: $18,800 to conduct a literature review for the feasibility of using
shredded tire to substitute for granular materials in pavement construction. WSU has agreement
from WSDOT that this information would be helpful for use of tire shreds in state highway projects.
Whitman County Solid Waste: $9,300 for one tire collection event for county residents.
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Annual Tires Report
Summary of Tire Project Applications
King County Solid Waste: $4,500 for Community Cleanup Assistance Program vouchers that
waive landfill disposal fees for two distinct groups: Victims of illegal dumping and those who are on
a limited or fixed income (financial hardship). Code enforcement staff distributes the vouchers for
tire cleanups.
Grays Harbor County Health: $13,225 for multiple tire related efforts: tire amnesty events in
Quinault and Aberdeen, followup enforcement for Ecology contracted tire removals, advertising
and educational materials.
Spokane Tribe: $5,000 for a 2010 tire cleanup project for reservation members in the eastern,
central, and western areas.
Moses Lake Irrigation District: $1,500 to pay for removal of tires embedded or resting along the
Moses Lake shoreline.
Walla Walla City/County: $11,020 for two tire amnesty events for residents of remote areas of
Walla Walla County. Staff will conduct followup outreach efforts at illegal dumping areas.
Whatcom County Health: $25,250 for an eastern county amnesty event in remote areas of the
county to reduce illegal dumping issues.
Mason County Health: $5,000 to remove tires collected during south sound beach cleanup
efforts.
Unfunded Requests in 2010
Asotin County Solid Waste: Construct a tire receiving facility at the landfill and reimburse the
county for a tire abatement effort. Not funded to provide funding to more projects across the state.
Reimbursement is not allowed for costs incurred.
Lewis County Solid Waste: Cleanup of three unauthorized waste tire piles, located in Glenoma,
Packwood, Ethel, and Centralia. Property owners are required to sign an agreement to properly
manage waste tires. The tire cleanup efforts were not funded to allow for amnesty efforts.
City of Olympia: Tire collection event. This funding was not allowed because it was to reimburse
for costs incurred.
Projects Identified but Not Submitted in Time for 2010 Funding
City of Chelan: Support for tire removal efforts at the local publicly funded recycling operation.
Clallam County: Enforcement of tire regulations at illegal auto recycling operation, coordinate
with Washington State Patrol commercial vehicles division and county code enforcement
Department of Natural Resources: Funding to support removal of scattered tires along public
land
Grays Harbor County Beach Removal: Removal of tires used along the ocean shore at Bottle
Beach. Effort requires significant coordination prior to removal.
Kittitas County: Draft new tire ordinance requirements.
Klickitat County: Tire pile abatement, amnesty event, outreach and education.
Lincoln County: Tire pile abatement - tires located in a streambed. Requires collaboration with
multiple agencies for work in water.
Mt. St. Helens Park Tire Removal: Collection and removal of scattered tires in the national park.
Mason County: Tire amnesty event, outreach and education.
Northeast Tri County (Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry): Tire pile abatement, amnesty event,
outreach and education – also interest from Ferry Conservation District for tire removal.
Pierce County: Tire amnesty event, outreach and education.
Snohomish County Beach Removal: Removal of tires used along the ocean shore at Meyer
Beach. Effort will require collaboration with the property owner as well as the Tulalip Tribe. Effort
requires significant coordination prior to removal.
Spokane County: Tire pile abatement, amnesty event, outreach and education.
Tulalip Tribe: Removal of tires from the shoreline.
WA Department of Natural Resources: Removal of tires from DNR land around the state.
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Annual Tires Report
Summary of Tire Project Applications
Washington State University: Continue to work with WSDOT on use of shredded tires in highway
construction applications.
Whatcom County Health: Removal of tires from along the Nooksack River embankment. Effort
will require collaboration with the property owner as well as the Nooksack Tribe. This project was
not organized in time for the 2010 funding period.
Yakama Nation: Tire pile abatement, amnesty event, outreach and education.
Background on Waste Tire Pile Cleanups 1989 - 1998
In 1989, the Washington State Legislature passed Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1671 (Sections 92 –
95) which established a $1 per tire fee on the retail sale of new vehicle tires for the Vehicle Tire
Recycling Account (VTRA). This account provided approximately $14.4 million to clean up 34
unpermitted tire piles in 9 counties around Washington. Collection of the tire fee ended in 1994 and
the account was fully spent in 1998 (Table 3.7).
Table 3.7
Tire Pile Cleanup 1990-98
Year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
Total
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# Sites
1
15
5
2
2
2
5
1
1
34
Estimated #
of Tires
92,200
794,000
1,263,300
57,000
932,000
4,158,600
2,380,200
175,000
2,800,000
12,652,300
15
Cost
$102,667
$1,816,894
$1,241,133
$65,394
$694,947
$4,114,859
$3,235,372
$310,200
$2,850,000
$14,431,466
Annual Tires Report