Tire Disposal in Atlanta, GA: The Contradictory Bulk Rule

Item: Used and scrap tires shed by a household — passenger car and light-truck tires, plus bicycle tires where a facility lists them. Truck, tractor-trailer, semi, agricultural and commercial-business tires are outside these routes. Rims and wheels are a separate, facility-specific acceptance question. Jurisdiction: City of Atlanta, GA — Department of Public Works, Office of Solid Waste Services (SWS) service area. The City spans Fulton and DeKalb counties, and that boundary decides routes. DeKalb County runs its own landfill, amnesty days and fee schedule and is not a City of Atlanta service; unincorporated Fulton County runs its own scrap tire enforcement and has no City-style residential route published; Decatur, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, East Point and other non-Atlanta cities run their own or their county's programs. State authority: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) — Tire Management Unit. Official sources: Georgia EPD (Tire Management, scrap tire options, carrier responsibilities, HB 226), O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.1, City of Atlanta Department of Public Works (Bulk Waste Collection, Office of Solid Waste Services, Recycling Programs, Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission), ATL311, Atlanta Municipal Code Sec. 130-32, Live Thrive CHaRM, DeKalb County Sanitation, Fulton County Code Article XVII, Discount Tire Last verified: September 2026 · Next review: December 2026

Quick answer

Four used tires are one of the hardest small loads to get rid of legally in Atlanta. Tires cannot go in the garbage cart, the recycling bin, an apartment dumpster or compactor, a trash chute or a bulk pile set out on a guess, because Georgia bans whole tires from its landfills. What exists instead is a free monthly City event, a bulk-pickup rule two official City pages contradict each other about, a paid appointment-only drop-off, and a county landfill that serves DeKalb residents only.

Tires never go in the household garbage cart, the recycling bin, an apartment dumpster or compactor, a trash chute, or a bulk pile set out on a guess. Whole-tire landfilling has been banned in Georgia since December 31, 1994, and O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.1(b) allows only shredded, chopped or chipped tires into a landfill, under narrow conditions.

Legal limits for a private citizen: store no more than 25 scrap tires at a time and transport no more than 10 at a time without a permit (Georgia Rules for Solid Waste Management, Chapter 391-3-4-.19). The 10-tire figure is a permit-exemption threshold, not a hard ban: you may move more than 10 of your own tires without a permit if you can show proof of purchase with a receipt. Above that, an EPD-permitted tire carrier is the lawful route.

Three candidate routes for a City of Atlanta address, and the first is unresolved:

1. Atlanta Recycles Day — free, run by the Department of Public Works every third Saturday, February through December, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM at Greenbriar Mall, 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW, Atlanta GA 30331. The City's recycling page and ATL311 both list tires among the accepted materials.
2. Scheduled curbside bulk pickup — conflicted. The Bulk Waste Collection page lists "Tires (up to four (4) tires total)" as approved bulk material. The Office of Solid Waste Services page states the opposite: "The City will not collect auto parts (including tires) or building/construction materials."
3. CHaRM by Live Thrive — the City's designated route for hard-to-recycle items. Paid, appointment-only, car and bicycle tires only, rims removed.

DeKalb County residents use the Seminole Road Landfill (up to 10 personal-vehicle tires per visit, proof of DeKalb residency required) or wait for a DeKalb scrap tire amnesty or surrender event.

Verify two things first: whether the City actually collects household tires on bulk pickup (ATL311, 404-546-0311), and CHaRM's current per-tire fee and whether your tire type qualifies (404-600-6386).

Quick facts

Georgia law: why a tire cannot go in the trash

The landfill ban. Whole scrap tires cannot enter Georgia landfills; whole-tire landfilling has been banned since December 31, 1994, and O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.1(b) permits landfilling only of shredded, chopped or chipped tires under narrow conditions. That rules out the garbage cart, the dumpster and the chute no matter how small the load.

The private-citizen limits. Store no more than 25 scrap tires at a time; transport no more than 10 at a time without a permit. Moving more than 10 of your own tires without a permit is allowed only with proof of purchase and a receipt.

Who needs a carrier permit. An EPD tire carrier permit plus a vehicle-door decal is generally required to collect or transport tires other than new tires. Exemptions include a municipal solid waste service collecting tires incidental to its trash business, private individuals within the 10-own-tire or proof-of-purchase rule, a company transporting its own tires, a tire retailer moving its own used tires with documentation, people transporting tires from an organized site cleanup, and federal, state and local governments. A household moving its own few tires is not a commercial carrier.

The $1 fee is not a disposal charge. Georgia's $1 tire management fee is imposed on the retail sale of new replacement tires (O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.1(h)(1)) and has been collected and remitted by distributors rather than retailers since July 1, 2023. It funds the Solid Waste Trust Fund. There is no state per-tire price to pay when you drop old tires off.

Storage rules apply too. Scrap tires must be stored in a locked enclosure or otherwise secured against unauthorized access, with a possible EPD waiver, and must not breed or harbour mosquitoes, rodents and other vectors.

The City bulk question: tires up to four, or no tires at all?

This is the page's most important honesty section. Two live official City of Atlanta pages disagree, and nothing in the sources reviewed for this guide settles which is current.

One page accepts them. The Bulk Waste Collection page lists "Tires (up to four (4) tires total)" among Approved Bulk Materials. As published, bulk is a scheduled single-family residential service, scheduled on the resident's regular weekly collection day as of February 16, 2026, with up to 12 bulk appointments per year (extra call-ins beyond 12 incur a fee under Municipal Code 130-84). Materials go out after 7 p.m. the day before collection and sit at the right-of-way, 6 feet from carts, without blocking traffic. Bulk is not available for debris from rental properties, business operations, new construction or demolition.

The other page refuses them. Under Bulk Items Not Eligible for Collection, the Office of Solid Waste Services page states: "The City will not collect auto parts (including tires) or building/construction materials."

Do not set tires out on the strength of either statement. Call ATL311 — 311 in metro Atlanta or 404-546-0311, atl311.com — and ask whether the City collects household tires on bulk pickup and whether the four-tire line is current. Only a yes justifies a curbside set-out. Do not treat the City as refusing tires either: that is just as unconfirmed.

The free City route: Atlanta Recycles Day

The event runs the third Saturday of each month, February through December, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM at Greenbriar Mall, 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW, Atlanta GA 30331 (the former Macy's parking lot). ATL311 says it accepts recycled tires along with small electronics, single-stream recycling and document shredding, and that it targets City of Atlanta residents, especially multi-family households without curbside recycling, for items not accepted curbside.

The catch: no official City or ATL311 page publishes a tire count limit. A Greenbriar Mall partner page for one dated event says "Limit TWO TIRES per resident," but that is a non-government source tied to one date, not a standing City rule. Ask ATL311 or KABC (404-330-6240) about the limit and about rims, since no rim rule is published for this event either.

The Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission (KABC, the City's Keep America Beautiful affiliate) also hosts a semi-annual City-wide Scrap Tire Drive — spring tied to Earth Day, fall tied to America Recycles Day, nearly 50,000 tires collected to date. No date, site, collection window or tire limit is published for the next one, so treat it as a call-first route rather than a plan.

CHaRM by Live Thrive: appointment-only, rims off, fee per tire

CHaRM, the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, is run by the nonprofit Live Thrive and is the route the City points hard-to-recycle items to. Georgia EPD also names CHaRM (Atlanta, Decatur, Athens) as a state route.

Acceptance rule as published: "Car and bicycle tires ONLY, no rims." Tires with rims are on the not-accepted list, and truck tires are not accepted.

A real caution about steel-belted tires. The operator's own tire article says steel-belted tires are not accepted, while the acceptance page's "NO" line reads "Steel-belted tires accepted," which appears to be a typo. Because most modern passenger tires are steel-belted, this could exclude the tires you are holding. Confirm with CHaRM before treating it as your car-tire route.

• CHaRM Atlanta — 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta GA 30315: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
• CHaRM DeKalb — 1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur GA 30032: Wednesdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
• Phone: 404-600-6386.

Appointments are required, booked through the app or web portal; a QR code is scanned at check-in and email confirmations are no longer sent. Payment is cashless: "NO cash accepted — Venmo, Credit Card, Debit Card and Apple Pay accepted." Sort and separate the load, keep materials clean and dry, and register first if you are a business. Live Thrive posts closures separately from hours; the 2026 list includes Sept 5, Oct 22, Nov 25 (closing early), Nov 26–28, Dec 24–28, Dec 31 and Jan 1. Re-check the booking page the week you go.

DeKalb County: the Seminole Road Landfill and the amnesty days

Seminole Road Landfill — 4203 Clevemont Road, Ellenwood GA 30294. Personal vehicle tires only (no commercial vehicle tires), up to 10 tires per visit, Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Phone 404-687-4040. Proof of DeKalb residency is required: a DeKalb vehicle registration sticker on the tag, a DeKalb address on the driver's license of the vehicle operator, or a DeKalb government invoice such as a water bill or tax assessment. DeKalb's curbside bulky and special collection does not take tires, so there is no set-out fallback.

DeKalb amnesty days. DeKalb ran free Scrap Tire Amnesty Days on Saturday March 21 and Saturday March 28, 2026, 8 a.m.–2 p.m., at the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner's Office, 4380 Memorial Dr., Decatur GA 30032, limited to 10 passenger vehicle tires per vehicle. They refused large off-road (tractor or agricultural) tires, tractor-trailer and semi tires, extremely dirty or muddy tires, commercial-business tires and tires with rims, with no dumping outside event hours.

Those dates are past, and they are event-specific — do not plan around them. DeKalb's contract covers the upcoming 2026 events and the county has said it plans a permanent tire-surrender program in 2026; that is stated intent, not a published service. Call DeKalb Solid Waste at 404-294-2900 or check dekalbsanitation.com for the next round.

Eligibility: which government actually serves your address

This is the step readers skip and then waste a trip on.

• City of Atlanta (Department of Public Works, Office of Solid Waste Services service area): City bulk pickup (if confirmed), Atlanta Recycles Day and the KABC scrap tire drives. The City has no household hazardous waste program and points hard-to-recycle items to CHaRM.
• The City spans Fulton and DeKalb counties, and county lines decide routes. An Atlanta address in the DeKalb portion is still a City customer, but DeKalb County programs are a separate system that does not apply.
• DeKalb County residents (outside the City): your own landfill, amnesty days and fee schedule.
• Unincorporated Fulton County: the county code contains a Scrap Tire Enforcement article (Article XVII) covering storage, reuse and recycling — for example, no person may store more than 100 scrap tires, plus retail tire dealer record requirements — but no residential curbside, drop-off or amnesty route is published in any source checked for this guide. Contact Fulton County Public Works and treat the route as unconfirmed, or plan on self-hauling to CHaRM or hiring an EPD-permitted carrier.
• Decatur, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, East Point and other non-Atlanta municipalities: outside City of Atlanta service; they run their own or their county's programs.

What a tire actually costs on each route

Fees appear only where a source publishes them, and two are contested.

• Atlanta Recycles Day and the KABC drives: described by the City as free. KABC's page says one or two tires may be dropped at CHaRM "for free disposal," which conflicts with CHaRM's per-tire fee and may be stale. Do not count on free CHaRM disposal without confirming with KABC (404-330-6240).
• City bulk pickup: no per-tire charge is published for the first 12 call-ins, but the route itself is unconfirmed.
• CHaRM: a per-tire fee for residents and businesses alike, published by the operator at two amounts — $3 per tire on the Items and VIP pages and $2 per tire in the operator's January 26, 2026 tire article. Confirm at 404-600-6386 or in the app.
• DeKalb's Seminole Road Landfill: published twice, inconsistently — $10.00 per residential tire (Sanitation FAQ and the April 2026 landfill and transfer station fee schedule) versus $3.50 under 18 inches, $16 over 18 inches, $30 with rims (Bulky Items & Special Collections page). Call 404-687-4040.
• EPD-permitted carriers, processors, sorters and landfills: no price is published anywhere. Get a quote and confirm the operation takes walk-in household tires.

Ignore any third-party site quoting a flat per-tire price for Atlanta; those figures do not trace back to the City, the county or the state.

Which route fits your situation

Never use: the garbage cart, recycling bin, dumpster, compactor, trash chute, an unconfirmed bulk pile, a vacant lot, an alley, a roadside, or any public or private property you do not own.

Route comparison at a glance:

Houses, apartments, renters and multi-family buildings

• Atlanta Recycles Day is partly for you. ATL311 says the event targets City residents, especially those in multi-family homes without curbside recycling, for items not accepted curbside.
• Do not count on bulk pickup. City bulk collection is explicitly "not available for debris from rental properties," and is framed as a single-family residential service even if the four-tire line is current.
• Do not expect the building to handle it. Atlanta City Code Sec. 130-38 requires the owner or association of apartment and multi-family buildings with six or more living units to furnish commercial containers and arrange its own recycling hauling contract — a recyclables service, not a tire route.
• CHaRM accepts renters' tires. No ownership test is published, so you can self-haul your own, but the per-tire fee applies and an appointment is required. A renter without a car has no City service to fall back on: the practical options are a retailer that removes the old set when you buy replacements, an EPD-permitted carrier, or asking the leasing office about a building-level arrangement — no published City service backs that last one, so get any promise in writing.
• Never use the shared dumpster, compactor, trash chute or building trash room, and never leave tires by a dumpster on move-out day.
• DeKalb renters can use the Seminole Road Landfill with proof of DeKalb residency or wait for an amnesty or surrender event; DeKalb bulky and special collection refuses tires.
• If a third party dumped tires on the property, report it rather than hauling it: KABC at 404-330-6240 or KABC@atlantaga.gov with "tires" in the subject.

How to prepare and transport tires

1. Rule out the wrong containers first — no garbage cart, recycling bin, dumpster, compactor, chute or unconfirmed bulk pile.
2. Count against the limits — store up to 25; transport up to 10 of your own without a permit; more than 10 of your own needs proof of purchase and receipts, or an EPD-permitted carrier.
3. Remove all rims for CHaRM; everywhere else, ask — rim rules are facility-specific.
4. Book the CHaRM appointment first, have the QR code ready, sort and separate the load, and bring a cashless payment method. Businesses register before booking.
5. For the DeKalb landfill, bring residency proof, personal-vehicle tires only, no more than 10.
6. For a DeKalb amnesty or surrender event, bring passenger vehicle tires only, up to 10 per vehicle, rims removed, inside the posted window.
7. For bulk pickup, act only after ATL311 confirms tires are collected, then schedule it, respect any tire count, set out after 7 p.m. the day before, and keep the load 6 feet from carts at the right-of-way.
8. Secure the load. Tires roll and shift — tie them down and do not stack them loose in a passenger vehicle.
9. If tires wait at home, drain or cover them so they cannot hold water, and keep them secured and out of reach of children and pets.
10. Call before you travel: CHaRM 404-600-6386, ATL311 404-546-0311, DeKalb landfill 404-687-4040.

Related items routed differently in Atlanta: appliance disposal, furniture disposal, mattress disposal, electronic waste disposal and paint disposal. CHaRM's acceptance rules differ by category, so do not assume a tire rule carries over to paint or e-waste.

Safety warnings and mistakes to avoid

Storage and vectors. Stored tires must be secured against unauthorized access as state law requires, and must not breed or harbour mosquitoes, rodents and other vectors. Standing water in a tire becomes a mosquito nursery within days — drain or cover them.

Do not let a pile grow. The 25-store and 10-transport limits exist because accumulated tires are a fire and vector problem. Do not stockpile while deciding what to do.

Rims are dangerous to remove. Demounting a tire from a rim involves pinch and bead-seating hazards. Do not attempt it by hand with improvised tools, and never burn a tire off a rim. Have a shop do it.

Legal exposure is real. Dumping scrap tires anywhere in the City of Atlanta is unlawful under City Code Sec. 130-32, part of the City's Scrap Tire Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2012-53(12-O-0357), effective 4-1-13). It incorporates the state scrap tire rules and provides for penalties including imprisonment, work on public streets, and vehicle seizure and impoundment. Its exemptions — a private individual transporting no more than ten of their own tires, and a generator producing fewer than 100 tires per month transporting only its own tires — are legal thresholds, not permission to move commercial volumes.

Do not move someone else's pile. A pile left by a third party is a reportable offence and a vector and fire hazard; hauling it could push you past the 10-tire self-haul threshold.

Commercial volumes are a different regime. Businesses, retailers, garages and fleets work under EPD generator IDs, carrier permits with vehicle decals, manifests and storage limits; the household framing here does not apply to them.

Mistakes that cost a trip or a ticket:

• Setting tires out for bulk pickup without an ATL311 confirmation, because the two City pages disagree.
• Planning around one CHaRM rate or one DeKalb landfill rate — both are published twice, at different figures.
• Assuming CHaRM will take your car tires without asking about the steel-belted line.
• Driving to CHaRM without an appointment, with cash, or with rims still on.
• Arriving at the DeKalb landfill without residency proof, or expecting DeKalb curbside pickup to take tires.
• Self-hauling an abandoned pile, which can exceed the transport threshold.
• Trusting a third-party website's per-tire price over the City, county or state source.
• Leaving tires at a dumpster, chute or vacant lot — unlawful, with penalties that include vehicle seizure.
• Treating a retailer's take-back as a legal obligation.

Reporting a tire dump

In the City of Atlanta, report illegal scrap tire dumping to the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission at 404-330-6240 or KABC@atlantaga.gov, with "tires" in the subject line.

Statewide, EPD directs residents to the compliance specialist for their county. The general EPD scrap tire contact is 404-362-2537 (Recovered Materials/Tire program), rma.epd@dnr.ga.gov.

State routes, haulers and retailer take-back

Georgia EPD lists five household routes: EPD-permitted recycling processors, sorters and retreading facilities; the local city or county recycling or collection center; CHaRM (Atlanta, Decatur, Athens); local scrap tire collection or amnesty events, which local governments can fund through the EPD STAR Grant (up to $75,000 per local government per year, reimbursing collection and recycling costs); and EPD-permitted tire carriers, who pick up tires and haul them to an EPD-approved processor or end user.

Verify anyone you hire. EPD maintains the current "Permitted Tire Carriers" list (updated August 5, 2026) and the "Permitted and Approved Processors, Sorters, Retreaders, and Landfills" list (updated July 17, 2026), both on the EPD Tire Management hub. Call the business first — a permit listing does not guarantee walk-in household acceptance or a published price.

Retailer take-back. Discount Tire states: "When you replace your tires with us, all necessary tire fees are included including tire disposal, state and environmental fees," and offers to recycle an old set if you call or stop by. Treat this as a retailer policy, not a law: no dollar amount is published, it works only when you buy tires there, and no Georgia requirement for retailers to accept old tires was found in the sources checked.

Planning a project? A scrap tire beneficial reuse permit is required for projects using more than 25 scrap tires. There is no fee to apply, but the local zoning authority must approve first, and applications go through GEOS.

What this guide cannot confirm

• Whether the City of Atlanta collects household tires on scheduled bulk pickup. One City page lists "Tires (up to four (4) tires total)" as approved bulk material; the Office of Solid Waste Services page says the City will not collect auto parts including tires. Ask ATL311 (404-546-0311) and do not set tires out without a yes.
• What CHaRM charges per tire. The operator publishes $3 per tire on the Items and VIP pages and $2 per tire in its January 26, 2026 tire article. Confirm at 404-600-6386 or in the app.
• Whether CHaRM takes steel-belted tires — the operator's tire article says no, its acceptance-page wording reads as a yes. Since most passenger tires are steel-belted, this decides whether CHaRM is your car-tire route at all.
• The current DeKalb landfill tire fee — published as $10.00 per residential tire and also as $3.50/$16/$30 by size and rims. Call 404-687-4040.
• The tire count limit at Atlanta Recycles Day, which no official City or ATL311 page states. Ask ATL311 or KABC (404-330-6240).
• Whether KABC's "free disposal" for one or two tires at CHaRM is still accurate, because it conflicts with CHaRM's published per-tire fee. Call KABC at 404-330-6240.
• Any rim rule for Atlanta Recycles Day, City bulk pickup or the KABC drives — none is published. Rims are facility-specific; only CHaRM's published rule ("no rims") is clear.
• Any residential tire route for unincorporated Fulton County, and the next DeKalb amnesty or surrender event date. Call Fulton County Public Works and DeKalb Solid Waste (404-294-2900).

Verify before you act

1. Confirm which government serves your address: City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, unincorporated Fulton County, or a non-Atlanta city.
2. Ask ATL311 the conflict question by name: does the City collect household tires on scheduled bulk pickup, and is the "Tires (up to four (4) tires total)" line current? Do not set tires out without a yes.
3. Confirm the next Atlanta Recycles Day and ask for the tire count limit, which no City page publishes.
4. Ask KABC whether the "free disposal" line for one or two tires at CHaRM is current — 404-330-6240.
5. If using CHaRM, confirm four things: the current per-tire fee, whether steel-belted tires are accepted, that rims must be removed and truck tires are refused, and today's hours plus closures — 404-600-6386.
6. DeKalb residents: confirm the current landfill fee at 404-687-4040 and bring residency proof; call 404-294-2900 for the next amnesty or surrender event.
7. If hiring anyone, check them on EPD's Permitted Tire Carriers list and confirm the destination is on EPD's permitted processors, sorters, retreaders and landfills list.
8. Re-verify the day you act. Hours, closures, fees and acceptance rules change.

Jurisdiction and town limits: what this guide covers

This guide covers household tires at a City of Atlanta address in the Department of Public Works, Office of Solid Waste Services service area, and the state rules that apply everywhere in Georgia.

It does not cover:

• DeKalb County residents outside the City of Atlanta — a separate system with its own landfill, fee schedule and events (404-687-4040; events 404-294-2900).
• Unincorporated Fulton County — scrap tire enforcement exists in county code, but no residential tire route is published. Confirm with Fulton County Public Works before planning a trip.
• Decatur, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, East Point and every other non-Atlanta municipality — outside City of Atlanta service; use your city's or your county's programs.
• Businesses, retailers, garages and fleets — EPD generator IDs, carrier permits with vehicle decals, manifests and business storage limits apply instead.
• Truck, tractor-trailer, semi, agricultural and large off-road tires — refused by the residential drop points described here.

Landlord, property-management and HOA rules sit on top of every route above, and they cannot make a dumpster, chute or vacant-lot set-out acceptable. Confirm your address, your tire type and the current fee before you load the car.

FAQ

Can I put tires in the trash in Atlanta? No. Georgia bans whole tires from landfills, and tires are not a household waste item for the City.

Will the City pick up tires at the curb? Unresolved: one City page lists up to four as approved bulk material, another says the City will not collect auto parts including tires. Call ATL311 (404-546-0311) before setting anything out.

What is the free option in Atlanta? Atlanta Recycles Day, third Saturday monthly, February–December, 9 AM–12 PM, Greenbriar Mall, 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW. Confirm the tire limit first.

How many tires can I store or transport? Store up to 25 scrap tires; transport up to 10 of your own without a permit. More than 10 of your own requires proof of purchase and receipts, or an EPD-permitted carrier.

What does CHaRM charge? A per-tire fee published as both $3 (Items and VIP pages) and $2 (the January 26, 2026 tire article). Confirm at 404-600-6386 or in the app.

What do I need for a CHaRM trip? An appointment booked in the app or portal, the QR code for check-in, sorted items, rims removed, and a non-cash payment method.

Do tires need to come off the rims? At CHaRM, yes. Elsewhere the rule is facility-specific: DeKalb's fee schedule prices rimmed tires while its amnesty days refuse them.

I live in DeKalb County — where do my tires go? Seminole Road Landfill, 4203 Clevemont Road, Ellenwood GA 30294, up to 10 personal-vehicle tires per visit with proof of DeKalb residency, or the next DeKalb amnesty or surrender event.

I live in Sandy Springs, Decatur or unincorporated Fulton County. Do Atlanta's rules apply to me? No. Those addresses are outside City of Atlanta service. Use your own city's or county's program, and treat unincorporated Fulton County's residential tire route as unpublished until Fulton County Public Works confirms one.

Will a tire shop take my old tires? Only as a store policy, typically when you buy replacements there. Georgia does not require retailers to accept old tires.

Does Georgia charge a fee to drop off tires? No. The $1 fee applies to the retail sale of new replacement tires; any per-tire charge you pay is the facility's own.

How do I report illegal dumping? In Atlanta, KABC at 404-330-6240 or KABC@atlantaga.gov with "tires" in the subject; statewide, the EPD compliance specialist for your county or the EPD scrap tire line at 404-362-2537.

What if I find a whole pile of tires on my property? Report it rather than haul it. Hauling a large pile can exceed the 10-tire self-haul threshold and creates vector and fire hazards. Call KABC at 404-330-6240, or your county's EPD compliance specialist.

Contacts

• ATL311 (City questions, bulk rule): 311 in metro Atlanta or 404-546-0311 · atl311.com
• CHaRM by Live Thrive: 404-600-6386 · questions@LiveThrive.org · livethrive.org/charm/book-an-appointment/ · 1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta GA 30315 · 1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur GA 30032
• Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission: 404-330-6240 · KABC@atlantaga.gov
• DeKalb County Sanitation: 404-687-4040 · Customer Care 404-294-2900 · dekalbsanitation.com
• Georgia EPD Tire Management: 404-362-2537 · rma.epd@dnr.ga.gov
• Fulton County Public Works: fultoncountyga.gov
• City of Atlanta DPW, Office of Solid Waste Services: 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Suite 4700, Atlanta GA 30303 · publicworks@atlantaga.gov

Official sources

1. Georgia EPD — Where Do I Take My Scrap Tires in Georgia? https://epd.georgia.gov/document/document/options-scrap-tire-recycling-gapdf/download
2. Georgia EPD — Common Scrap and Used Tire Questions: https://epd.georgia.gov/common-scrap-and-used-tire-questions
3. Georgia EPD — Tire Management hub: https://epd.georgia.gov/about-us/land-protection-branch/recovered-materials-and-abatement/tire-management
4. Georgia EPD — Permitted Tire Carriers (updated Aug 5, 2026): https://epd.georgia.gov/document/document/permitted-tire-carriers-852026pdf/download
5. Georgia EPD — Permitted and Approved Processors, Sorters, Retreaders and Landfills (updated Jul 17, 2026): https://epd.georgia.gov/document/document/permitted-and-approved-processors-sorters-retreaders-and-landfills-0/download
6. Georgia EPD — Tire Carrier Responsibilities: https://epd.georgia.gov/document/document/tire-carrier-responsibilities/download
7. Georgia EPD — Changes to Georgia's Scrap Tire Law (HB 226): https://epd.georgia.gov/document/document/hb226flyer061914pdf/download
8. O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.1 — Tire disposal restrictions; fees: https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-12/chapter-8/article-2/part-1/section-12-8-40-1
9. City of Atlanta — Bulk Waste Collection: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/bulk-waste-collection
10. City of Atlanta — Office of Solid Waste Services: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/office-of-solid-waste-services
11. City of Atlanta — Recycling Programs and Events: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/recycling-program
12. ATL311 — Atlanta Recycles Day: https://atl311.com/en-us/knowledgearticle?code=KB0011478
13. ATL311 — CHaRM: https://www.atl311.com/en-US/knowledgearticle?code=KB0011610
14. City of Atlanta — Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/public-works/keep-atlanta-beautiful-commission
15. Atlanta Code Sec. 130-32 — Dumping of scrap tires: https://library.municode.com/ga/atlanta/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORATGEVOII_CH130SOWAMA_ARTIISCTIEN_S130-32DUSCTI
16. Live Thrive — Items CHaRM Accepts: https://livethrive.org/charm/items-we-accept/
17. Live Thrive — Book an Appointment: https://livethrive.org/charm/book-an-appointment/
18. Live Thrive — How to Recycle Tires at CHaRM: https://livethrive.org/how-to-recycle-tires-at-charm/
19. DeKalb County — Sanitation FAQ: https://dekalbcountyga.gov/sanitation/frequently-asked-questions
20. DeKalb County — Bulky Items & Special Collections: https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/public-works/sanitation/bulky-items-and-special-collections
21. DeKalb County — Landfill and Transfer Station Fees (April 2026): https://dekalbcountyga.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/Landfill,%20Transfer%20Station%20and%20Animal%20Crematory%20Fees%20-%20Most%20Recent.pdf
22. DeKalb County — Seminole Road Landfill: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/sanitation/seminole-road-landfill
23. Fulton County Code, Article XVII — Scrap Tire Enforcement: https://library.municode.com/ga/fulton_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOORCORE_CH34HESA_ARTXVIISCTIEN_SS34-809--34-820RE
24. Discount Tire — Scrap Tires and the Environment (retailer policy, not a government program): https://www.discounttire.com/learn/scrap-tires-environment

Verify before you act. The City of Atlanta's own pages disagree about whether bulk pickup takes up to four tires, CHaRM publishes its per-tire fee at two different amounts and its steel-belted wording contradicts its own tire article, and DeKalb's landfill tire fee is published twice at different figures — so call ATL311 (404-546-0311), CHaRM (404-600-6386) and DeKalb Sanitation (404-687-4040) before you load the car. This guide covers household tires at a City of Atlanta address in the SWS service area plus the state rules that apply statewide; DeKalb County, unincorporated Fulton County, and Decatur, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Doraville, East Point and other non-Atlanta cities run their own programs and are not City of Atlanta service. Tires never go in the garbage cart, the recycling bin, a dumpster, a chute or a vacant lot — Georgia bans whole tires from its landfills.