If your garage, barn or back lot has a stack of old tires on it, the clock is ticking. Under Alabama Administrative Code r. 335-13-4-.21, “a landfill shall not dispose of whole tires after December 31, 2026.” From 2027 on, tires must at minimum be shredded or cut into quarters before disposal.
What the rule actually says
- Whole tires are banned from Alabama landfills after December 31, 2026.
- There is a narrow exception for “incidental whole tires” that make up a de minimis portion of a mixed load — one stray tire buried in a renovation load will not shut down a tip, but a load of tires will.
- Landfills already refuse free liquids, regulated hazardous waste, medical waste and PCB waste under the same rule.
Hauling tires already requires a state permit
This part surprises people: under the Alabama Scrap Tire Program, anyone who transports scrap tires in Alabama must hold an ADEM transporter permit — a rule dating back to the 2003 Scrap Tire Environmental Quality Act, the same law that put the $1.00-per-tire fee on replacement tires. That is why reputable dumpster providers around Dothan list tires as a prohibited item: a roll-off full of tires is not something a general hauler is even allowed to move.
What to do with tires in the Dothan area
Keep tires out of the container. Tire retailers collect scrap tires when you buy replacements (that is what the fee funds), and ADEM maintains a list of permitted scrap tire receivers. For everything else in the cleanout — the furniture, the lumber, the roofing — a roll-off dumpster or a full estate cleanout handles it. Call (334) 453-7676 and describe the load; the provider will tell you what can and cannot ride in the can.