Scrap Tire Amnesty FAQs

Applicants must represent a local government entity (i.e., city, county, or solid waste authority). Private citizens are not eligible for the STAR program.

Also, to be eligible to receive state funds, local governments must be in compliance with Georgia Department of Community Affairs' minimum standards under the Georgia Planning Act, legal requirements related to immigration, and the Service Delivery Strategy law. Check your compliance status with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

If this is your first event, you should allow adequate time to prepare your application and receive any necessary approvals from your local government officials. EPD suggests that you start planning your first event anywhere from four to six months ahead of your event date. We also recommend setting an alternate date, in case of delays in processing or in the event of bad weather.   

No. If the tires will be stored on city or county property during the amnesty event, the site does not need to be permitted by EPD, but you are required to submit a Temporary Storage Certification Statement . Tires can be temporarily stored during the event under the terms of the agreement. Always follow the temporary storage guidelines for your temporary storage site.

EPD asks that you submit your amnesty event application at least 90 days prior to your event date. EPD requires a minimum of 90 days in order to complete the application review and process the agreement.

Yes. But please submit one application per event if they are not scheduled on consecutive days. If there is a gap between events, EPD requires two separate agreement applications and agreement numbers. Also, your reimbursement total for all events may not exceed $75,000 per local government per year. 

This is up to you, but EPD suggests limiting the number of tires accepted to 3-5 per person to help ensure that you stay within the budget specified in your agreement. If you do set a limit, be sure to advertise it so people do not bring more scrap tires than allowed. EPD will reimburse up to $4.00 per PTE (passenger tire equivalent) per event. See below for an explanation of PTE.  

This is up to you, but EPD recommends that you verify residency by checking citizens’ state issued identification or utility bills. This ensures that your event is benefiting your community.

EPD recommends that you wait to begin advertising until you have received the final signed agreement from EPD. Be sure to give your residents enough time to prepare for the event and include all relevant details, including date, time, location, number of tires allowed, proof of residency, and any restrictions (e.g., no rims, no commercial businesses, etc.). 

EPD maintains lists of permitted tire carriers and permitted or approved  beneficial reuse scrap tire processors on its website. 

Before signing a contract with the carrier or processor, verify that they will agree to submit a signed manifest to you listing how many tons of scrap tires were removed and processed. To receive reimbursement for the event, you must submit scrap tire tonnage amounts and a signed manifest to EPD. This is the most important requirement for reimbursement of your event, and you are responsible for obtaining this information.

Certain changes will require you to notify EPD via email and submit an amendment application . These include changing the event date, requesting more funding, and requesting additional time. Failure to submit an amendment application and obtain approval could result in the inability of EPD to reimburse event expenses.

Other changes only require that you notify EPD via email. These include changes to the project manager, secondary contact, tire storage location, tire carrier, and scrap tire processor.

For more details on amendments and notifications, see " Amnesty Program Amendment Guidelines ."

If your local government decides not to have the event, you must send a letter or email of termination to EPD. 

Passenger tires are the tires that you normally find on your own car, van, or truck (i.e., tires that would be found on a typical passenger vehicle). OTRs are “off-the-road” tires. OTR tires are found on tractors, mining equipment, and other large machinery. One large OTR tire can weigh as much as 25 passenger tires. Counties and cities located in rural and agricultural areas may collect more OTR tires than those in urban areas.

PTE or passenger tire equivalent is a unit of measurement used to convert truck and off-the-road (OTR) tire numbers to passenger tire numbers. For example, the weight of one large tractor (or OTR) tire is approximately equal to the weight of 25 passenger tires. To determine the total PTE for your event by tire type use the following calculations:

• PTE = # passenger tires x 1
• PTE = # of truck tires x 5.33
• PTE = # large OTR tires x 25 

It may be difficult to predict how many scrap tires you will collect during an amnesty event, especially if it is your first one. There are many factors that can contribute to high or low turnout (e.g., weather, other local events, etc.).

Tire processing and carrier fees can also vary, depending on your location. Based on past events, the processing cost for an amnesty event is usually between $1.50 and $3.50 per PTE. The most important factors in determining the rate are the amount of tires collected and the amount of fixed costs (e.g., inbound freight costs, flat rate fuel costs, etc.) incurred.

Start by calling one of the permitted or approved beneficial reuse tire processors . You can also contact the Recovered Materials Unit to discuss your estimates by emailing [email protected]. 

1. Some local governments may hold a scrap tire amnesty event in conjunction with another event, such as electronics recycling. Remember to never mix other items with the scrap tires — either during the event or transportation to the processor. The STAR program only covers costs for the collection, transportation, and processing of scrap tires.

2. All amnesty agreements call for high resolution digital photos of the event. Assign someone on your team to be the designated photographer on event day. Please submit the photos to EPD via email as JPGs. EPD may use them in its publications. 

Reimbursable costs are limited to the cost of transporting the scrap tires by a permitted tire carrier to a permitted or approved beneficial reuse scrap tire processor and the cost of processing the scrap tires at a permitted or approved beneficial reuse scrap tire processor. 

Yes. Amnesty events (as well as right-of-way projects) are now limited to a maximum reimbursement of $75,000 per local government per fiscal year and $4.00 per passenger tire equivalent (PTE) per event (i.e., the number of tires removed / total project cost). See above for description of PTE.

EPD realizes that the information in your original STAR application and project agreement is based on estimates and sometimes, those estimates will be off. You may have had an extremely successful event and collected more tires than anticipated. Or, your residents may have brought in more tractor tires than you planned for and those large tires cost more to process. If this happens, notify EPD as soon as possible and submit an amendment application .

Note that agreement amendments are subject to the same limits as the original agreement and reimbursed only for the costs of transporting and processing the scrap tires, a total reimbursement of $75,000 per local government per fiscal year, and up to $4.00 per passenger tire equivalent per agreement.

For more information about amendments, please see the " Amnesty Event Amendment Guidelines ."

 

1. Make note of the reporting deadline. You are required to submit your final report and request for reimbursement within 90 days of the event.
2. Double-check that the federal tax identification number is correct. 
3. Verify the name of the person or department to whom the reimbursement check should be made payable.