Used tire dumping is an illegal act that has become an epidemic in some areas, even though tires are recyclable.
As CBS 17 reports, someone dumped as many as 100 tires in Fayetteville in Cumberland County, North Carolina. The newscast mentions that illegal dumpers are constantly trashing the community, adding to trash that worn-out residents deal with from a nearby homeless encampment.
Those tires can become a haven for harmful and disease-spreading pests that can quickly multiply and infest local homes. As resident Thretha Chance says on a call with the county, "It's causing rats, snakes, and insects on our property … I've never seen [a] woodrat before. The woodrat [is] bigger than a cat." In addition to creating an eyesore and pest habitat, dumped tires can become a fire hazard and leach chemicals into the environment, such as the local water supply.
It would be easier and more cost-effective to utilize trash and recycling pickup services that often provide discounts for high volumes of waste instead of letting a health and safety hazard linger. Anyone can call 1-800-GOT-JUNK to find a used tire disposal near them or take them to auto repair facilities.
The Military Luggage Company is responsible for cleaning up this tire issue since it is on its property, but the company is waiting to receive a notice from the county before initiating the cleanup. Unlike the company, Cumberland County residents dealing with tire dumping in other parts of the country are taking matters into their own hands.
As Dolly Davis, president of the Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance, told the Washington Informer, residents in D.C.'s Ward 7 got together and collected almost 250 tires that weighed about 5,000 pounds during an MLK Day cleanup in 2024. In Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality provided $168,076 to fund Waste Tire Pilot Programs in 2022. On a positive note, while tire dumping is a huge problem in the United States, at least 76% of old tires are recycled.
Chance truthfully tells the reporter, "As citizens, we should not have to live like this." With more fines on violators and more education about the availability of tire recycling, hopefully caring citizens like Chance won't have to live like this much longer.
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