Philly Leader

The Tire Round-up Program is a volunteer-driven partnership between the City, block captains and stakeholders that helps to get tires safely off city streets, sidewalks, parks, alleys and riverbanks, all while raising funds for future community programming.

Tires are growing eyesores in our communities that serve as a breeding grounding for mosquitoes, and a haven for rodents.  Watching them pile up in vacant lots further contributes to deteriorating conditions in our neighborhoods and poses fire hazards and other health risks.

Getting involved in the effort to remove illegally dumped tires from shared spaces requires a few simple steps. You must be a member of one of the following organizations to register your group for the program and to participate:

• Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (PMBC) Organized Block Clubs
• Certified Partnership Recycling Group
• Friends of a Park group
• Organized Community/Civic Groups
• Neighborhood NACs
• Town Watch Organizations
• Other certified organized groups throughout the City of Philadelphia

If your organization qualifies, call PMBC at (215)686-3981 to request an agreement form. Fill out and email the form to Tireroundup@phila.gov to register and confirm eligibility for the program. Community groups must include proof of a federal tax ID number and designation as a 501(c). Following verification of your eligibility, you will be notified by email of your identification number and a list of drop-off locations and hours of operation.  The first collection event takes place on Saturday, June 26th.

Registered participants will be reimbursed 50 cents per illegally dumped tire for no more than 1,000 tires per group.  Tires donated from locations required to pay a fee for private disposal are not eligible for the drop-off program. This includes auto repair shops, mechanic shops, car dealers and private storage lots.  Please note, new COVID protocols and requirements are in place for the 2021 season.

The Tire Round-up program was developed in 1995 to keep illegally dumped tires from entering into the waste stream. Tires that make their way into the landfill take approximately 50 to 80 years to decompose.  If you see illegally dumped tires in your community, you can bring up-to 4 per day to a Sanitation Convenience Center or report larger quantities of dumped tires to 3-1-1.

Original source can be found here.