Delaware produces more than 750,000 scrap tires a year. How to keep them from fouling the environment is a serious consideration. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) offers two programs to help — the Scrap Tire Facility Compliance Program and the Scrap Tire Removal Program.

Scrap tire piles present a number of environmental, health, and safety hazards to our communities. They are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. A tire fire started by arson or a lightning strike could take days, even weeks, to extinguish because burning rubber is extremely difficult to put out. The smoke from a tire fire contains hazardous gases and the oily liquid runoff from the melted tires can pollute ground water.

Compliance

DNREC’s Compliance and Permitting Section regulates scrap tire facilities under Section 12 of Delaware’s Regulations Governing Solid Waste (7 DE Admin. Code 1301). The regulations are focused on ensuring that scrap tire facilities do the following:

• Limit the number of scrap tires stored at a facility
• Limit the length of time scrap tires are stored at a facility
• Implement appropriate mosquito control methods for outdoor scrap tire piles
• Have basic standards for managing scrap tire piles

Do Scrap Tire Facility Regulations Apply to My Business?

To familiarize businesses that generate scrap tires with the regulations, the Compliance and Permitting Section has created flow charts, fact sheets and online training videos. These will help businesses quickly determine if the scrap tire regulations apply, and if so, what is required to be in regulatory compliance.

• Flow Chart: Understanding Delaware’s Scrap Tire Regulations: Do They Apply to Me?
• Flow Chart: Delaware Scrap Tire Regulations: Do I Belong to Group 1, 2, or 3?
• Fact Sheet: Scrap Tire Facilities: Open Pile Storage (Groups 1 and 2)
• Fact Sheet: Scrap Tire Facilities: Enclosed Trailer Storage (Group 3)
• Videos: Scrap Tire Facilities Training

Scrap Tire Facility Registration Process

Groups 1 and 2

Scrap tire facilities with an outdoor pile must get a permit. Use the scrap tire facility permit application and the guidance on creating an operations manual (Groups 1 and 2). An operations manual must be submitted with the permit application.

Group 3

Scrap tire facilities using enclosed trailer storage must use the scrap tire facility notification form to obtain a site identification number. Group 3 facilities must also maintain an operations manual on site. (Use the Scrap Tire Facility Operations Manual (Group 3).

Important Documents for All Scrap Tire Facilities

The guidance documents below are designed to provide assistance with some of the requirements necessary to maintain site compliance. These include:

• Scrap Tire Facility Monthly Inspection Log Sheet
• Scrap Tire Facility Percentage of Turnover: Guidance Document
• Scrap Tire Facility Annual Report

Removal

Since 2002, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has worked toward eliminating the state’s scrap tire piles. The state now offers funds to help clean-up some of these piles.

State funds are intended to help remove large, long-standing scrap tire piles. These are piles of more than 50 tires that have been in existence since at least the end of June, 2006. If you own a tire pile that meets this description, please call 302-739-9403 and let’s talk about how we can help you.

Transporters of scrap tires must obtain a non-hazardous solid waste transporter permit.

State assistance may also be available to help counties, municipalities, or community groups remove illegally dumped tires.

Related Topics:  Health and Safety, permitting and regulation, scrap tire, solid waste, waste, waste and hazardous substances, waste management