According to https://www.epa.gov, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put forward a proposal to address an estimated 48 million abandoned scrap tires in at least 23 states and on Tribal lands. The agency frames the move as a response to public health and safety risks tied to large tire piles, including persistent fires and conditions that attract disease-carrying animals, as well as the visual blight these sites create.
The heart of the proposal would allow whole abandoned scrap tires to be designated and used as non-waste fuel in cement kilns. It would also let established tire collection programs manage all scrap tires used as fuel in a single, consistent way. Those two changes are intended to clear regulatory hurdles that currently slow removal and reuse of bulky tire accumulations.
EPA says the approach aims to speed cleanup while capturing the energy value in scrap tires. By treating whole tires as a combustion fuel under the proposal, the agency hopes communities can reduce on-site hazards and divert material into energy recovery, supporting what the announcement calls U.S. energy dominance.
Thomas Croci, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, put the policy in plain terms: “abandoned tire piles threaten public health but can be responsibly repurposed as fuel through this commonsense approach.” His office framed the proposal as building on earlier efforts to limit risks from scrap tire buildup and to expand resource recovery options.
The EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days, through May 22, 2026. The agency says the full rulemaking text and instructions for submitting comments are available on its website.
From a practical perspective, cement kilns are a common destination for tire-derived fuel because they already burn alternative fuels at high temperatures and operate under strict emissions controls. Allowing whole tires to be treated as non-waste fuel could remove logistical barriers to moving large, aging piles off the landscape and into permitted industrial use.
For communities and municipal programs that have struggled with collection and disposal, the proposal offers a streamlined path: established tire-collection systems would handle scrap tires destined for fuel uniformly, rather than navigating a patchwork of classifications and permits. That consistency is central to the EPA’s stated goal of accelerating cleanup while maintaining oversight.
This policy move sits at the intersection of waste management and sustainability in the tire sector. If finalized, it would be another tool in efforts to reduce public-safety hazards from abandoned tires and to recover energy from a stubbornly persistent waste stream.
