How to Dispose of Old Tires in Meridian, MS

Old tires are one of the few things you genuinely cannot throw in the trash or bury in a landfill in Mississippi. Whether you have a few worn tires in the garage or a stack left behind at a rental, this guide explains the state's waste-tire rules, the fees involved, and where to take them in the Meridian area. When you would rather someone else deal with it, call or text (601) 202-5059.

Why tires get special treatment

Whole tires do not belong in a lined landfill — they trap gases, float up through cover, and collect standing water that breeds mosquitoes. Mississippi regulates them under a statewide Waste Tire Management Program run by the Department of Environmental Quality, which routes used tires to permitted processors that shred and recycle them into crumb rubber, fuel, and other products instead of dumping them.

The Mississippi waste-tire fee

Mississippi funds this system with a waste-tire fee collected when you buy new tires at retail:

• $1.00 per tire with a rim diameter under 24 inches (most cars, SUVs, and light trucks).
• $2.00 per tire with a rim diameter of 24 inches or larger, including many farm and equipment tires.

You will usually see this fee itemized on the receipt when you buy replacement tires. It is administered through the Mississippi Department of Revenue.

Option 1: Leave them with the tire shop

The easiest time to get rid of old tires is when you buy new ones. Under Mississippi law, any retailer selling new or reusable tires must accept from you, at the point of sale, at least as many used or waste tires as the number you are buying — if you bring them. So if you buy four new tires, the shop must take your four old ones. Retailers can charge their actual per-tire disposal cost but cannot pad it. This one-for-one takeback is the cheapest and simplest route, so do not let the shop toss your worn tires unless you have already planned another use for them.

Option 2: County collection sites and Amnesty Day

Lauderdale County periodically holds a Solid Waste Amnesty Day where residents can drop off items that do not fit regular trash service — including tires — often at no charge. This is a great opportunity to clear out a pile of loose tires legally. Watch the county solid waste department's announcements for the next date. Outside of amnesty events, landfills and collection centers that accept tires typically charge a few dollars per tire to cover processing.

Option 3: How many tires can a household have?

Mississippi's rules distinguish between casual and bulk generators. As a general reference, the state's household/small-generator framework applies to individuals producing fewer than about 25 waste tires a year and businesses producing 10 or fewer per week. If you are clearing out far more than that — say a shop's worth of tires or an illegal dump you inherited with a property — that volume is handled differently and should go through a permitted waste-tire hauler. Ask us or MDEQ if you are dealing with a large quantity.

Option 4: Reuse before you toss

Before disposal, consider whether a tire has life left. Usable tires can go to a used-tire dealer, and old tires get repurposed as garden planters, playground borders, or livestock feeders. But do not let tires accumulate in a yard "for later" — standing water in tires is a mosquito magnet and, in bulk, can violate the county's solid waste ordinance.

Why not just stash them or dump them?

It is tempting to let old tires pile up behind the shed or, worse, drop them on a back road. Do not. Beyond being illegal, tires are a genuine nuisance and health hazard when they accumulate. Each tire holds rainwater that will not drain, and standing water in tires is one of the most effective mosquito breeders there is — a real concern in the Mississippi summer. Piles of tires are also a fire risk; a tire fire is notoriously hard to put out and pours toxic smoke into the air. Lauderdale County takes illegal dumping seriously and has a solid waste enforcement officer who tracks down illegal dumpsites, so a stack of tires tossed on vacant land can come back on the property owner as a fine. The legal routes below are cheap and easy by comparison.

Common sources of leftover tires

Tires turn up in the oddest places during a cleanout. We regularly pull them from garages and sheds where a previous owner stored "spares," from the back of properties bought at auction, and from foreclosed or abandoned homes where someone left a small pile behind. Farm and rural properties around Lauderdale, Clarke, Kemper, and Newton counties often have equipment and implement tires to deal with, which fall under the larger-rim fee tier. Whatever the source, the disposal rules are the same — they need to reach a permitted waste-tire processor rather than a regular landfill.

Option 5: Full-service tire removal

If you have a pile of tires and no easy way to move them — or they came bundled with a larger cleanout — we will haul them. Our tire disposal service takes car, truck, and equipment tires and gets them to the proper waste-tire channel so you do not have to make trips or track down a drop-off. It is especially handy on foreclosure, estate, and garage cleanouts where tires turn up mixed with everything else.

Got tires to get rid of? Call or text (601) 202-5059 for an up-front price.

Sources

MDEQ Waste Tire Management Program: mdeq.ms.gov. Mississippi Dept. of Revenue tire disposal fee: dor.ms.gov. Miss. Code 17-17-423 (waste tire fee & retailer takeback): law.justia.com. Lauderdale County Solid Waste (Amnesty Day): lauderdalecounty.org.

Last verified August 2026. Facility names, addresses, hours, and fees change; call ahead to confirm current details before you make a trip.