Tire Disposal Poses Problem For Counties

County officials in north-central Idaho are questioning how they will finance regulation of tire disposal, a responsibility they will take over from the state next July.

The Clearwater and Nez Perce county commissions have delayed adopting a waste tire management plan for the region until long-term funding for county regulation is cleared up, said Paul Guenther, environmental health director for the North Central District Health Department.

The state’s $1 fee for each new or retreaded tire sold is scheduled to expire in July. Counties are seeking advice from a Boise attorney for the statewide group of health districts about whether they have the legal right to adopt a similar fee and collect it inside incorporated cities.

“Without a change in the law from the Legislature, we probably can’t do it,” Clearwater County Commission Chairman James Wilson said at the Health Department’s board meeting last week.

A model ordinance drafted for north-central Idaho counties would prevent illegal tire piles and require registration of tire haulers to track the transportation of waste tires.

About 120,000 tires are discarded in north-central Idaho’s five counties each year, according to the draft waste tire management plan. Waste Recovery Inc. hauls the majority to Portland for processing and distribution to final markets.

A significant number of tires from the area also are being shipped to landfills in Washington’s Asotin County and Missoula, the plan says.