Farm Tire Recycling Program Protects Environment and Recycles a Renewable Resource

In the past, it was a common practice for farmers to “collect” old worn-out tires to be utilized to stoke fires as land was cleared and drained. At some point in time the burning of tires was deemed inappropriate due to the emission of hazardous fumes. Consequently, the practice of burning changed, leaving farmers with piles of tires and no feasible way to dispose of them. Modern day agriculture operations utilize farm tires of all shapes and sizes. Many of these tires are left on farms as they are replaced for one reason or another. With large combine tires costing in excess of $150 each to be disposed of at the local landfills, one can understand why they are retained. Section 10.1-1418.2 B. of the Code of Virginia states: “B. It shall be unlawful for any person to store, dispose of, speculatively accumulate or otherwise place more than 100 waste tires on public or private property, without first having obtained a permit as required…”. To address this issue, as well as reduce area for potential mosquito breeding ground, the “Farm Tire Recycling Program” began. The current program is administered by the Virginia Dare Soil and Water Conservation District with additional promotional and logistic support provided by Virginia Cooperative Extension.