Macon-Bibb officials announce ‘Tire Amnesty Day’ in December

The Tire Amnesty Day is made possible thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement (STAR) Program.

November 18, 2021

Cameron Branscomb,

Mayor Lester Miller at the site of a tire pickup

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb officials announced “Tire Amnesty Day” to help address the illegal tire dumping issue in the county.

The county will allow people to drop off scrap tires at 900 11th Street for free on December 11 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. “A person must be a Macon-Bibb County resident (state-issued ID or current utility bill required for verification), and tires will not be accepted from commercial businesses,” a Macon-Bibb news release said. “All tires must be off the rim, and there is not a limit to the number of tires people can bring.”

Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller and several county commissioners showed up to Owens Street Thursday where multiple illegal tire piles were found.

“We must penalize those that continue to do wrong,” Mayor Lester Miller said. “We must make a statement that this is not acceptable in our community and there will be punishment for your actions.”

“It’s been a problem, because a lot of companies are taking the money to dispose of the tires, and they’re not disposing of the tires like they’re supposed to,” resident Tyrone Battle said. “And they’re just dumping them, and it’s becoming an environmental issue for us.”

“The Tire Amnesty Day is made possible thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement (STAR) Program, the release said. “This grant will reimburse Macon-Bibb for the cost of transporting and processing scrap tires. It’s funded from Georgia’s Solid Waste Trust Fund.”

“In June 2021, the Commission increased the penalty for dumping scrap tires to $25 per tire and up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail per violation, at the discretion of the court,” the release added. “Following the Tire Amnesty Day, Macon-Bibb will begin citing people caught dumping tires illegally. The Scrap Tire Amnesty Day is a chance for people to appropriately dispose of the tires before citations begin.”

Two public forums were held to let businesses and people know about the new fines for dumping scrap tires. The information from those forums can be found by clicking here.