Walker County residents will have the opportunity to participate in a community clean-up effort in advance of Earth Day, as the county’s popular Retire Your Tires Amnesty Day event returns. On Saturday, April 20th, Walker County will accept tires free of charge from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Walker County Landfill, 5120 N Marble Top Road, Chickamauga and at the Rossville Public Works building, 200 Ellis Road, Rossville.
Car and light truck tires with wheel sizes 20-inches or smaller will be accepted during Retire Your Tires Amnesty Day, as well as ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tires. Tires must be dismounted from wheels. In addition, they must be dry and free of mud and debris. Tires with rims and large truck, tractor or heavy equipment tires are not eligible for amnesty. Landfill staff reserve the right to refuse any tires.
Retire Your Tires Amnesty Day is only for residents, not for commercial businesses. Proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or current utility bill, will be required to dispose of tires free of charge during the amnesty event. Those participating will also be required to unload their own tires and adhere to a limit of 16 tires per vehicle.
Since 2017, Walker County residents have disposed of 26,324 old car and light truck tires during amnesty events, including 3,643 last year. Those rubbery remains are sent to an approved recycling center and turned into things like industrial fuel or rubber mulch for landscaping and playground applications.
The Retire Your Tires Amnesty Day event is made possible thanks to a $17,265 grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement (STAR) Program. This grant reimburses Walker County for the cost of transporting and processing scrap tires. The grant is funded from Georgia’s Solid Waste Trust Fund, which consumers pay into when purchasing new tires in Georgia.
