More than 100 piles comprising an estimated 40,000 waste tires have been reported by residents since the debut of the statewide initiative to stop this type of illegal dumping.     

In December 2019, DHEC kicked off the “See It, Report It” campaign in partnership with PalmettoPride and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The campaign is aimed at eliminating unpermitted tire stockpiles – which can pose both public health and environmental risks.  

“The campaign gives residents the opportunity to help take care of their communities, and they have responded,” said Juli Blalock, assistant chief of the Bureau of Land and Waste Management. “We often find out about tire piles before they have a chance to grow reducing the health and environmental risks as well as the time and expense in the removal of the pile.” 

Most waste tires are properly processed by permitted facilities and are recycled into substitute aggregates, rubberized playground surfaces, landscaping mulch, truck bed mats and other products. Despite the resources available for the proper management of waste tires, illegal dump sites still occur.  

S.C. Residents are encouraged to quickly and anonymously report tire dumps by calling the Litter Buster Hotline at 1-877-7 LITTER or using the “Report a Litterbug” option at www.palmettopride.org. 

Reported complaints are managed by city or county solid waste departments, by litter control officers, by DHEC or by DNR, depending on the size, location and nature of the pile. Fines for first-time offenses may be as high as $10,000 per day for each violation. Residents should never knowingly let someone dump tires on their property, as landowners could be fined and held liable for associated cleanup costs.    

For more information about waste tires in South Carolina, visit www.scdhec.gov/tiresor call DHEC’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling at 1-800-768-7348.