Washington State Overview
An environment free of waste tires is important to the public health of all Washington
citizens. Piles of waste tires harbor mosquitoes, snakes and other vermin. West Nile Virus,
transmitted by mosquitoes threatens health. Many tire piles have existed for a significant
length of time and present a fire hazard. Tire piles continue to challenge state and local
officials responsible for cleaning up unauthorized dumpsites and preventing further waste
accumulation.
In 1989, the Washington State Legislature passed Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1671
(Sections 92 – 95). This bill 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 12 million tires around the state. The fee collection ended in
1994 and the account was fully spent in 1998.
In 2005, the Washington State Legislature passed SHB 2085, creating a Waste Tire Removal
Account with funds for cleanup of unauthorized and unlicensed tire piles. Funds for this
account come from a $1 fee for each new replacement tire sold in Washington. Collection of
this fee ends in July of 2010. This fund will be used to clean up more than 3 million tires
at more than 56 known unauthorized tire piles in Washington.
Waste Tire Definition
A waste tire is a tire no longer
usable for its original intended
purpose because of wear, damage,
or defect ( RCW 70.95.550).
Waste Tire Generation and Reuse in Washington
- Washington generated approximately 5 million waste tires in 2005. The industry standard
of one waste tire generated per person, per year is used to determine this total.
- In 2005, over 74 percent of the reported waste tires were recycled or reused.
- The remaining 26 percent reported to Ecology were landfilled. Some waste tires are
also put in municipal solid waste.
[Ecology Publication 06-07-024]
Waste Tire Generation and Reuse in the United States
- The United States generated nearly 300 million waste tires in 2005.
- About 80 percent of the US-generated waste tires of 2005 were recovered and recycled or reused
- About 52 percent of these recovered tires were converted to tire-derived fuel (TDF), and
consumed by power plants, industrial boilers and cement kilns as a fuel supplement.
- Sixteen percent of the recovered tires went to civil engineering applications and 12
percent to crumb rubber producers and beneficial reuses of whole waste tires.
- The remaining 20 percent went to landfills or monofills.
[Rubber Manufacturers Association 2005 Waste Tire Market Report]
Types of Tires
- Passenger car tires comprise 80 percent of annual waste tire generation. They weigh 22
pounds, on average.
- Light truck tires, with a rim diameter of 17 inches or less, weigh about 35 pounds
- Large truck (semi-truck) tires weigh up to 110 pounds
- Off-the-road (OTR) tires, used for construction, agricultural, and large recreational
vehicles and equipment have various types and weights
Content and weight of car and truck tires are listed below.
| Component |
Passenger Car Tire |
Large Truck Tire |
| Natural rubber |
14 % |
27 % |
| Synthetic rubber |
27 % |
14 % |
| Carbon black |
28 % |
28 % |
| Steel |
14 – 15 % |
14 – 15 % |
| Fabric, fillers, accelerators, antiozonants, etc. |
16 – 17 % |
16 – 17 % |
| Average weight as new |
25 pounds |
120 pounds |
| Average weight as scrap |
20 pounds |
100 pounds |
(Rubber Manufacturers Association)
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, which is reused in the
retreading process. As a result, it takes only 7 gallons of oil to produce a retread.
Tire Retread Information Bureau reprinted with permission
- Retreads are used by commercial trucking fleets, commercial and military jets, and most
school buses.
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