Tire Recycling

Knox County Tire Program

The Tennessee General Assembly passed the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991, which created the Waste Tire Program. Whole tires are banned from disposal in all landfills. The Act requires each county to provide a waste tire collection site for its citizens and tire dealers. The Act also requires the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to provide assistance grants to counties, and develop a program to find beneficial reuses for their waste tires. Counties are prohibited from disposing of tire shreds in a landfill if beneficial end uses are available.

Tire dumps can attract rodents and mosquitoes, act as vectors for disease, and are a serious fire hazard. When tires catch fire, contaminants in the burning material can run off into creeks and pollute groundwater. These fires also can cause significant air pollution. Unused tires should be recycled or treated with larvicides if outdoor storage is necessary. If using tires for swings or other home recreational purposed, drill holes in the bottom of the tire to allow for drainage.

INDIVIDUALS WITH FEWER THAN 20 PASSENGER TIRES:

Up to eight (8) passenger and light truck (or smaller) tires per year may be taken to any Knox County Convenience Center and placed in the tire pile. Individuals with between 8-20 tires will require pre-authorization to bring tires to a Convenience Center. Center Operators on duty will record identifying information such as driver’s license and/or vehicle description to include license plate numbers of any individual dropping large tires or suspected of violating the eight (8) tire policy.

Locations	Address	Phone#
Carter	8815 Asheville Highway	865-215-5865
Dutchtown	10618 Dutchtown Road	865-215-5865
Halls	3608 Neal Drive	865-215-5865
John Sevier	1950 West Governor John Sevier Highway	865-215-5865
Karns	6930 Karns Crossing Lane	865-215-5865
Powell	7311 Morton View Lane	865-215-5865
Tazewell/Gibbs	7201 Tazewell Pike	865-215-5865

INDIVIDUAL WITH GREATER THAN 20 PASSENGER TIRES, LARGE TIRES AND TIRES FROM COMMERCIAL OR AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY, AND BUSINESSES WITH WASTE TIRES (OTHER THAN TIRE RETAILERS):

Individuals with more than twenty (20) tires, large commercial or agricultural tires, or businesses (other than tire retailers) with waste tires must use a commercial waste tire disposal site. Larger heavy truck or agricultural tires are, by their nature, used for commercial and industrial business activities. Businesses (or individuals with large tires) that do not sell tires as part of their business must arrange for waste tire transport and delivery to an authorized waste tire disposal site.

Waste tire disposal sites typically charge fees and may require appointments. Below is the contact information for the commercial waste tire disposal site.

Liberty Tire Recycling LLC
1700 Transport Ln
Knoxville, TN 37924
865-963-4980

TIRE RETAILERS & WASTE TIRE GENERATORS

Businesses with tires, tire retailers, and waste tire generators cannot dispose of tires at any County Convenience Center. Those facilities are for residents only and businesses will be turned away.

Knox County establishes account balances for eligible tire retailers with the County’s waste tire disposal contractor. Tire retailer balances are related to the amount of new tires they sell locally because it correlates with the amount of tires a business will need to dispose. Retailers are allowed to charge fees to consumers to cover the difference in the amount of credit they receive from the County and the actual cost to dispose of the waste tires they remove from vehicles.

The County receives one ($1) dollar from the State imposed pre-disposal fees paid by consumers for every new tire they buy from registered generators within Knox County, allowing for tire disposal balances for retailers at the waste tire disposal contractor. This fee was created to fund public collection sites such as convenience centers, waste tire dump cleanups, tire removal from unpermitted disposal sites, to support tire enforcement actions, and support proper disposal by tire generators and tire retailers.

The County balances established for retailers are divided proportionally after the amount needed for public collection, enforcement, and dump cleanup is determined. Retailers should have a plan to pay for all waste tires they collect as the balance established by the County may or may not be sufficient to cover the true disposal cost. Retailers may charge their own handling fees for waste tire disposal.

The Tire Program credits are only available at the County’s current waste tire disposal contractor, listed below:

Liberty Tire Recycling LLC
1700 Transport Ln
Knoxville, TN 37924
865-963-4980

TIRE RETAILERS & WASTE TIRE GENERATORS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Tire retailers must meet the following criteria to receive a credit with the County’s waste tire contractor:

Retailers selling new tires must be registered with the State of Tennessee Department of Revenue (TDOR)
Retailers selling new tires must submit a copy of an invoice to a customer(s) buying a new tire or set of tires (customer personal and payment information may be redacted)
Retailers must show proof of all current business licenses
Retailers must furnish and keep up-to-date contact information such as (Contact name, email, telephone number)
Retailers must haul their own tires using their own employees or must utilize Knox County Tire Program approved third-party haulers.
Retailers must utilize all Knox County paper or electronic forms for accurate accounting and internal controls to utilize established tire balances.

TIRE RETAILERS & WASTE TIRE GENERATORS HAULING APPROVAL:

Retailers may haul their own tires at their own cost or they may employ a third party to haul waste tires to the County waste tire disposal contractor. Knox County will maintain a list of approved third party haulers who must meet the following criteria in order to deliver tires on a Knox County paid credit account:

Hauler and retailer must both furnish and keep up-to-date contact information such as contact name, email, telephone number.
Hauler and retailer must use and properly follow procedures in a manifest system provided by Knox County Solid Waste
Third-party haulers cannot operate from or be located at a property under a Notice of Violation related to improper storage of tires.
Hauler must show proof of all current business licenses.
Hauler must be no more than 3 years past due on Knox County property taxes.
Hauler may not have been convicted of illegal dumping or littering in the past 5 years.

REPORTING TIRE DUMPS AND TIRES IN/NEAR THE ROAD OR RIGHT-OF-WAY:

Residents are encouraged to report any amount of tires that seem suspicious or believed to be a nuisance or otherwise look like they do not belong. The primary contact for tire related concerns is the Knox County Tire Program Coordinator who will coordinate efforts between multiple jurisdictions such as the County, City, State, property owners, and residents.

If you are witnessing a crime in progress call 911 and stay away in a safe location as you may be in danger.

Illegally dumped tires in or near the road or rights-of-way are more easily removed than tires on private property. When tires are in the road or right-of-way, the department prioritizes their removal and may choose to send Highway Maintenance, Solid Waste Staff, or other agencies out to respond in a fast, efficient manner. Anyone noticing tires on the side of the road should fill out a roadside litter/dumping report using the Litter Dump Report Form.

INVESTIGATING TIRE DUMPS, DUMPING, OR UNPERMITTED WASTE TIRE SITES:

The Tire Program Coordinator may ask several questions from individuals reporting suspicious tires or tire dumping activity. Individual may remain anonymous. The Tire Program Coordinator may refer tire dump calls to one or more of the agencies listed below:

Local Codes Enforcement agencies
Local Fire Prevention officials
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Knox County Health Department (mosquito born illness issues)
Law Enforcement agencies

UNPERMITTED WASTE TIRE DISPOSAL AND STOCKPILE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TIRE DUMPS):

Individuals may be eligible for assistance from Knox County Solid Waste’s Unpermitted Waste Tire Stockpile Assistance Program. Individuals requesting assistance must complete the necessary forms. The Tire Program Coordinator will investigate all requests. The Tire program Coordinator may visit the site, look at historical aerials in order to determine the history of the tire dump, and analyze the cost to remove and dispose of the tires. The County will make a determination on the eligibility of assistance and to what extent the County can assist the applicant. In many cases the tire dump may will be declared a nuisance or receive a notice of violation by an enforcement agency. Below is a list of criteria that used to assess eligibility:

Types of tires
How easily tires can be accessed for removal
Whether the tires were placed there by another person
The ability for the applicant to remove and pay for disposal prior to assistance
How long the tires have been located there
Whether it is a recent tire dump
Whether the tires can be traced to some type of business activity by the applicant
Whether a police report was completed
Willingness to stage tires for transport
Truthfulness of claims by the applicant

To request assistance complete the Waste Tire Assistance Form.

Solid Waste