Although most waste tires are properly disposed of and recycled, many are illegally disposed of in ditches, ravines and stockpiles. Abandoned tire piles pose a serious fire threat. The fear is that the stockpiles will ignite, creating fires that are difficult to extinguish and can burn uncontrollably for months, releasing toxins into the air, soils, and even ground water, which is the primary source of drinking water in Idaho. Discarded tires are also a breeding ground for disease-carrying pests and rodents. Just one tire left outdoors can breed hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes in retained rainwater. Mosquitoes are known carriers of encephalitis, the West Nile Virus and other serious diseases.

Management and disposal of waste tires in Idaho is further complicated by high costs of transporting waste tires to authorized disposal sites and the state's prohibition against landfilling whole tires. Whole tires cannot be buried at sanitary landfills because they do not easily compact or decompose and take up valuable landfill space.

Recognizing that Idaho's regulation of waste tires lacked adequate precautions and incentives for proper storage, disposal and transport, a special subcommittee of the Joint Legislative Environmental Common Sense Committee (ECSC) was formed in April 2002 to address waste tire management issues in Idaho. The subcommittee worked with representatives of public and private sector organizations with an interest in waste tire management and DEQ to investigate the extent of the waste tire problem in Idaho and research methods used by other states to manage waste tires. The subcommittee also solicited public comment on the issue, then crafted and submitted proposed amendments to the state's Waste Tire Act to the Idaho Legislature for consideration during its 2003 session. The subcommittee's draft was introduced as House Bill 198, amended to address a number of additional issues identified by local governments and legislators, passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law on April 14, 2003, by Governor Dirk Kempthorne. The law took effect July 1, 2003.

Link to Idaho's 2003 Waste Tire Disposal statute.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about 76% of waste tires generated annually in the U.S. are recovered and recycled and that markets for waste tires are growing. About 42% of these recovered tires are converted to combustion fuel, which is consumed by power plants, industrial boilers, and cement kilns as a fossil fuel supplement.

Other products made from waste tires include:

• Playground and trail surfacing. Granulated tires can be used as a soft covering for playgrounds, trail surfaces and athletic tracks.
• Molded rubber products, such as belts, hoses, mats and surfacing tiles made from finely ground "crumb rubber."

Learn more on EPA's Scrap Tire Management Web Page.

Most tires are designed to last up to 80,000 miles, but rarely do because of improper maintenance. Proper care can extend the life of your tires, improve gas mileage, and achieve better handling of your vehicle. You will not only save money, but also will help reduce the number of waste tires that must be disposed of or recycled. Try these easy steps:

• Buy smart. Choose tires that fit your needs and your car correctly.
• Inflate properly. Underinflation of your tires can result in lost tire life. Overinflation can result in blow-outs or uneven wear.
• Balance. Keep tires balanced to avoid pulling them out of shape at high speeds.
• Rotate. Rotating tires helps to distribute wear evenly.
• Align. Improperly aligned tires can increase tire wear dramatically.
• Avoid sudden starts and stops. Abrupt stops and starts cause rubber to wear off on the road surface. Stop-and-go traffic wears tire tread faster than steady driving.
• Avoid excess speeds. Driving at a high rate of speed causes heat to build up in the tire, rapidly deteriorating the rubber.