By the numbers: EGLE Scrap Tire Program rolls on

Few things are more unsightly than an abandoned tire – and it doesn’t help that they invite mosquitos, don’t biodegrade, and are fire hazards in large numbers. So, naturally, cleaning them up by hundreds of thousands a year is an achievement worth noting.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Scrap Tire Program is continuing to not only clean up old tire piles but also invest in innovative ways to remove them from the waste stream and recycle them as part of Michigan’s circular economy.

For fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, the Scrap Tire Regulatory Fund appropriated $3.5 million to support cleanup and market development efforts.

Out of 125 cleanup grant applicants, the state selected 64 new projects and one amended grant from 2024, representing approximately $1.1 million in funding and expected to remove an estimated 368,333 tires from the environment. As of early March, the program had spent $822,500 and helped clean up more than 285,000 tires.

Current scrap tire cleanup grant applications are open until 5 p.m. March 31.

In market development, 2025 project grants totaling nearly $2.4 million highlighted a growing emphasis on innovation and infrastructure:

• Michigan Technological University: $1.16 million to lead multiple research initiatives, including testing rubber-modified asphalt in partnership with the cities of Detroit and Ann Arbor and collaborating with the Kent County Road Commission and General Motors Proving Grounds. Additional research will focus on developing scalable methods to convert mixed plastic and rubber waste into high-performance manufacturing materials.
• Environmental Rubber Recycling, Flint: $459,500 to upgrade equipment to enhance processing capabilities.
• Road commissions in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties: $615,331 to apply rubber-modified chip seal across nearly 20 miles of roadway combined.

The management and reuse of scrap tires is one of Michigan’s more persistent environmental challenges. Michigan generates more than 10 million scrap tires a year. Improper disposal poses serious risks, and it is illegal to dispose of whole motor vehicle tires in Michigan landfills.

The Scrap Tire Program, administered by EGLE under Part 169 of the state Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, regulates the transportation, storage, and disposal of scrap tires. It also oversees cleanup efforts for tire piles of 500 or more and promotes recycling and reuse.

Transporters and collection sites must register annually, and program staff routinely inspect facilities, including tire dealers, processors, and auto scrap yards.

These safeguards are essential. Scrap tire fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and can contaminate water through runoff. Unmanaged tire piles create breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can carry diseases such as West Nile Virus.

Despite the challenges, scrap tires represent a significant opportunity. In Michigan, they are increasingly being repurposed into useful materials such as rubber mulch, tire-derived fuel, road construction materials, aggregate for backfill and drainage systems, and components for new tires and plastic products.

Michiganders looking to dispose of tires responsibly can find lists of approved collection sites and recyclers on EGLE’s Scrap Tire Program webpage. Many tire retailers also accept used tires, often for a small fee or when new tires are purchased.