HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-08-15 Residents Urged To Dispose of Tires Properly
William A. Kucharski
Harry Kim
Director
Mayor
Diane A. Noda
Wilfred M. Okabe
Deputy Director
Managing Director
County of Hawai‘i
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
345 Kekūanāoʻa Street, Suite 41 • Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
(808) 961-8083 · Fax (808) 961-8086
http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/environmental-management/
NEWS RELEASE
August 15, 2017
Residents Urged to Dispose of Tires Properly to Prevent Health Hazards
The County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management’s Solid Waste
Division would like to remind the public about the hazards of discarded old tires. If not
disposed of properly, discarded tires can lead to the spread of disease. If they catch fire
they create toxic smoke.
Not to mention the fact that old tires are ugly, and detract from the natural beauty of
Hawai‘i.
Old tires left outside collect rain water, providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes that
can be carriers of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and other diseases. On Hawai‘i Island
there was an outbreak of dengue from 2015 to 2016 and 264 people were reported
infected. Dengue in rare cases can be fatal. Recent outbreaks of Zika in other parts of
the world have caused severe brain damage in the fetuses of pregnant women.
In Hawai‘i, State Law HRS Chapter 342I Part II requires proper disposal of old tires and
bans them from landfills and transfer stations. Old tires must be disposed of at an
approved tire collection or recycling company. There is usually a fee. Visit
www.hawaiizerowaste.org/tires for more information and a list of approved companies.
The law requires that tire retailers add disposal fees to the purchase price of tires. This
creates an incentive for buyers to leave the old tires with the retailers that sold tires to
them and helps assure proper disposal.
What happens to the recovered tires? They are recycled into new products or are
burned to make energy.
For further information, please visit www.hawaiizerowaste.org/tires or call 961-8270.
See our flyer: http://hawaiizerowaste.org/site-content/uploads/Tire-Recovery-Info-Flyer-
for-Consumers-2017-08.pdf
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.