How do you dispose of old tires?

What each state's own agency says about tires: the page it was read from, the date it was read, and where that state takes it.

The federal baseline

There is no federal rule telling you where to put four old tires — EPA's scrap tire pages describe the recycling markets and the hazards and leave the rules to the states, which is why the answer changes at every state line. EPA's reason for caring is the pile: "Mosquitoes can also breed in the stagnant water that collects inside tires." And: "Tire fires result in thick smoke throughout the surrounding area which can contain pollutants harmful to human health."

Read from EPA.

What happens to it

1. Old tires are collected through retailer take-back and community collection sites — Indiana, for one, requires retailers to accept waste tires one-for-one with new tires purchased.
2. Tires that pass a vigorous inspection go to a retreading company, which removes the old tread and applies a new one without any sacrifice to safety or handling.
3. Others are ground into crumb rubber and manufactured into rubberized asphalt, running tracks, floor mats, and other products.
4. Others are shredded into rubber mulch used as playground surfaces or other safety surfacing.

Steps read from Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

All 50 states

One row per state, with the sentence its agency page states, the page itself, the date it was read, and where that state says to take it. A state whose name links has a page of its own; for the rest, this row is everything that state says.