Many of West Virginia’s rivers have been a dumping ground for old tires for decades but there are ways to properly dispose of the tires at no charge.
There are several opportunities to get rid of up to 10 tires per person for free this month in West Virginia. The disposal days are part of a program with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) called Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP). The events are for car and light truck tires only, not rims. Drivers should stay in their vehicles when dropping off tires.
The events include:
- Barbour County: Thursday, May 5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Barbour County Fairgrounds
- Grant County: Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the RCS Transport Lot at 2 Airport Road in Petersburg
- Berkeley County: Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Southern Berkeley Recycling Center at 637 Pilgrim St. in Inwood
- Greenbrier County: Thursday, May 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greenbrier County Landfill
- Mineral County: Saturday, May 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tomar Inc. Trucking Lot on Glass Plant Access Road in Keyser
- McDowell County: Wednesday, May 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the old Walmart in Kimball.
Some counties have ongoing tire collections such as the following:
- Boone County: Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Boone County Recycling Center.
- Brooke County: Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brooke County Recycling Center
- Calhoun County: The third (3rd) Friday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cabot Station Recycling Center on Rt. 5, two miles West of Grantsville
- Fayette County: The third (3rd) Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kevin’s Auto Sales and RVs on Route 19 in Scarbro
- Hancock County: Call Hancock County Solid Waste Authority at 304-459-3269 for more information
- Mason County: Call Mason County Recycling Center at 304-675-7855 for more information
- Mercer County: The first (1st) Friday of each month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mercer County Landfill
- Monroe County: The second (2nd) Wednesday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon at the Monroe County Recycling Center
- Pocahontas County: Call Pocahontas County Landfill at 304-799-4199 for more information
- Tucker County: The first (1st) Thursday of each month from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tucker County Landfill
- Wayne County: The first (1st) Monday of each month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wayne County Solid Waste Authority
- Wyoming County: The first (1st) Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wyoming County Landfill
You can find a full list of upcoming tire collection events at the WVDEP website.
Several communities are working to remove the tires and other trash from rivers in order to increase tourism in southern W.Va.