Information Sheet
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About Scrap Tires
Issues: October 1996
Contact: phone (207) 287-2651
What is the size of the tire problem in Maine?
There are five large stockpiles in Maine that contain approximately 40 million scrap tires. The DEP estimates that there are an additional 20 million scrap tires stored in dozens of smaller stockpiles throughout the State. Maine generates about 1.7 million scrap tires annually most of which currently are consumed as industrial boiler fuel.
What hazard do these tires pose to the people and environment of Maine?
Tire piles create conditions that can breed enormous numbers of mosquitoes that can spread disease. The primary concern though is fire. Tire pile fires in other parts of the country have lasted for months, cost millions of dollars to fight, required the evacuation of neighborhoods, and caused significant environmental damage from toxic soot fall-out and the run-off of oil and water. These considerations have led DEP to develop stockpile clean-up plans that will lower fire danger even while scrap tire disposal is underway.
What are the disposal options for tires?
Currently, tires are being processed into boiler fuel and used as fill material in road construction. Small numbers of scrap tires are used as raw materials in other products. Maine market conditions currently support only two viable processing facilities.
What are the disposal costs for remediating a scrap tire stockpile?
Past state experience with remediating a scrap tire stockpile has cost the state approximately $75.00 per ton of scrap tires removed from the stockpile and recycled.
How did this problem develop?
For many years aspiring entrepreneurs stockpiled tires anticipating a breakthrough in market demand for recycled/used tires. This problem started in the 1960's or before. Back then, there were no state laws or regulations governing any aspect of solid waste management. Tire stockpiles were started right along with junkyards, open burning dumps and many other activities that were accepted practices. Where old tires ended up appears to be directly related to how closely tire disposal was regulated. Tighter regulations and higher out of state disposal costs encouraged the disposal of tires in Maine.
What is Maine doing to prevent illegal dumping?
The DEP is working to reduce illegal dumping by formally tracking scrap tires from their point of generation (town transfer station, tire dealer, etc.) to their eventual disposal. Also, DEP is working with the Attorney General's office and the court system to shut down the remaining stockpiles and to prevent those stockpiles from growing larger.
How does tire stockpiling hamper legal disposal?
A legal scrap tire disposal operation must charge about $1.00 for transportation, processing, and marketing a passenger tire. An illegal tire dump may charge as little as $.25 per tire since most illegal tire dumps have no overhead costs for the handling and processing of the tires.
What is the market value of a scrap tire?
One scrap tire shredded into boiler fuel can be sold for about $.50.
What is the potential of a tire pile burning?
Each year, a number of tire stockpiles in the United States are ignited by arsonists or lightning. During 1996, there were two stockpile fires in Maine that burned about 1600 tons of scrap tires.
Depending on wind conditions at the location of a large tire stockpile fire, the DEP expects unhealthful levels of soot will fall out over a thirty mile area around the fire. Moreover, a fire at a large pile will likely burn for weeks with the varying wind pushing the smoke and soot in all directions. A large scrap tire pile that is fully burning probably cannot be controlled until the pile is pulled apart and buried with soil. Even this method often only slows the fire down rather than extinguishing the fire. It can continue to burn under the soil cover for months or longer. Water applied to a large scrap tire stockpile fire is ineffective as it is boiled off as steam before it can reach the fire's center.
Is the scrap tire pile problem growing?
Recent changes in laws and regulations will prevent more large stockpiles from being created. Only the existing scrap tire stockpiles will continue to be a problem in the future. That problem will be diminished to the extent that market conditions and/or subsidies encourage used tire recycling or reuse.
What can technology do to solve the problem?
Innovative technology may provide new opportunities for utilizing scrap tires. Maine encourages developing technologies by assisting them where the technology shows promise in offering solutions to Maine's scrap tire problem.
What is the total cost of solving the problem?
The DEP estimates that there are 40 million tires in the state's largest scrap tire stockpiles that will cost 30 million dollars to dispose of in today's market.
What is the Governor's goal?
The Governor's goal is that DEP remove 15 million scrap tires from tire stockpiles by the year 2000.
How much money can be spent each year to reach the Governor's goal?
The existing market for recycling scrap tires in Maine as boiler fuel will limit the annual disposal to a maximum of 5 million scrap tires costing about 4 million dollars.
How can Maine lower disposal costs?
The most favorable means of lowering disposal costs is by offering disposal contracts to bidders that propose on-site scrap tire processing into a reusable product.
Where can I get more information?
For information on Maine's scrap tire problem, please contact the Solid Waste Program (207) 287-2651.
