If you have old vehicle tires to get rid of here’s some good news. Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility is offering Butte County residents three Tire Amnesty Days.
On March 23, April 17 and May 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. county residents may take old and unwanted vehicle tires to the Neal Road facility and dispose of them free of charge.
To take advantage of the free disposal, residents must make an appointment for a specific time on one of the three days by calling 530-552-5705. Appointment slots are limited to first come, first served and only 50 appointments a day are being allotted.
“I’d suggest people call for an appointment soon. May 23 is already quickly filling up,” Valerie Meza, Butte County Recycling Coordinator, said Monday.
During the amnesty up to nine vehicle tires will be accepted per appointment. This represents a savings of $2 per tire without rims and $4 per tire with rims. Tires larger than 38 inches will be charged the standard fees.
One of the purposes of Tire Amnesty Days is to “keep down illegal dumping,” said Meza.
“If people see tires that have been illegally dumped, they should call Butte County Code Enforcement to come and pick them up,” said Meza. “If they see an illegal dump within any of the county’s city’s limits, they should call the local police department which all have their own code enforcement departments.”
The other purpose of Tire Amnesty Days is to mitigate mosquito breeding habitat.
“Old waste tires are great incubators for mosquitoes, a carrier of the West Nile Virus,” said Meza. “By helping the public remove these breeding sites from the county, everybody will benefit.”
Meza said when consumers purchase tires, they are charged a $10 recycling fee. While that fee is not refundable it does obligate the seller to take back the tires they sold free of charge if proof of purchase, such as a receipt, is provided at the time of return. Without a receipt businesses will not accept old tires leaving the recycling and waste facility as the only option for discarding the tires.
Tires taken to the Neal Road facility will be hauled away by Waste Tire Products and shredded for use as rubberized asphalt and playground cover. No tires will be burned.
Tire Amnesty Days are funded by a grant from the California Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling, known as CalRecycle, and by an allocation from the Neal Road Recycling & Waste Facility.