The Waste Tire Amnesty Program, established in 1998, is part of the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s (EEC) ongoing effort to rid Kentucky’s landscape of waste tires.

During a waste tire amnesty individuals can drop off their unwanted tires at a location within their county.  The EEC collects the tires and recycles them through “beneficial end use” markets to become products such as tire-derived fuel or crumb rubber. 

The program is supported by the Waste Tire Trust Fund established by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1998. The General Assembly passed legislation requiring tire retailers to collect a $1 fee on all new replacement motor vehicle tires sold. Retailers may retain five cents to offset administrative costs, but the balance is required to go in the Waste Tire Trust Fund. This fund is dedicated to managing scrap tires and developing sustainable markets for recycled tire products.  

The Division of Waste Management uses a portion of the funds collected to conduct the Tire Amnesty program in each Kentucky county. This program offers citizens an opportunity to dispose of unwanted tires at no cost. The division contracts for the removal and delivery of the recovered tires to beneficial end-use markets. Multiple-county programs are included under each contract to achieve an economy of scale necessary to attract large, well-capitalized contractors.

The program was originally designed as a one-time offer to citizens, but the success of the first tire amnesty resulted in the 2002 Kentucky General Assembly authorizing its continuation.

To date, Tire Amnesty is responsible for the proper disposal of more than 16.5 million waste tires. The state has also developed an important end-use market with Owensboro Municipal Utilities to burn waste tires as fuel in its operation.

The following table lists the counties that will host tire amnesty events in the fall of 2009. Please contact your local solid waste coordinator for event locations and hours of operation. Click here for a list of county solid waste coordinators and contact information.

2009 Fall Lincoln Trail Amnesty Schedule 

Meade	Sept. 10,11,12
Breckinridge	Sept. 17,18,19
Washington	Sept. 24,25,26
Hardin	Oct. 1,2,3
Grayson	Oct. 8,9,10
Nelson	Oct. 15,16,17
LaRue	Oct. 22,23,24
Marion	Oct. 29,30,31

Click here for the 2006 through 2010 tentative tire amnesty schedule.