Tires are not permitted in your trash.
Tires are highly flammable and not allowed in your garbage. While tires aren't accepted as trash, you can still bring them to Metro Park East Landfill or Metro Park West Landfill, where they are kept separate and recycled later. We also accept up to four tires at the Metro Hazardous Waste Drop-off.
It's illegal.
Per the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, disposing of tires in a landfill has been banned since July 1991.
Why are tires banned from landfills?
- They don't readily decompose within a landfill
- They are not easily compacted
- During the decomposition process within a landfill, methane gas is released. Methane gas can build up within the interior of the tire, making the tire gradually "float" to the surface. This compromises the integrity of the landfill design, and results in tires that won't stay buried.
- They are highly flammable and cause fires.