Philadelphia Tire Disposal: Four Tires a Day

Item: Used passenger car and automotive tires — typically a set of four swapped off at a tire change, a spare or two, or an older accumulation from a garage, alley or back yard. Not truck, tractor, oversized or commercial-vehicle tires, and not tires generated by a business. Jurisdiction: City of Philadelphia Department of Sanitation service area (Philadelphia County) only — inhabited private parcels with six units or fewer, plus qualifying condominium, co-operative, retail and professional-office parcels. Buildings with more than six units, properties on private collection, and commercial properties are not served by the City. Gas stations, service stations, body shops and automotive repair shops are excluded generators. Official sources: City of Philadelphia (Residential trash and recycling rules, find-a-center and Sanitation Convenience Center pages, Special items, Residential Bulk Collection portal and program document, Tire Round-up Program), Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (Waste Tire Program, list of waste tire processors) Last verified: September 2026 · Next review: December 2026

Tires are the one household item in Philadelphia that never travels with the trash truck. They are not accepted curbside in any form, and the reason is not paperwork — a tire pile holds water and breeds mosquitoes, and a large pile is a serious fire load. Pennsylvania regulates the stream for that reason.

For a resident, that leaves exactly two City routes and one group-only seasonal programme, and the choice between them comes down to two things: how many tires you have, and whether your address receives City sanitation collection at all.

Quick Answer: Philadelphia Tire Disposal at a Glance

• Never curbside. Philadelphia does not collect tires in regular curbside trash or recycling — the City's residential trash and recycling rules list them under "Not accepted for curbside collection." Not the trash cart, not the recycling bin, not a building's shared bins, and not mixed into a bulk pile.
• Drop-off — Sanitation Convenience Centers. Up to four (4) automotive tires per day, no appointment, with proof of Philadelphia residency and a vehicle under 6,000 pounds total weight. Open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed City holidays. Six centers citywide.
• Pickup by appointment — Residential Bulk Collection. Passenger car tires with rims removed, four tires maximum per appointment, inside a four-bulk-item limit and one appointment per household per week, for households on City collection with up to six units. Book at bulkcollection.phila.gov or through 311.
• Group-only and seasonal — the Tire Round-up Program. Registered community groups are reimbursed 50 cents per illegally discarded tire, up to 1,000 tires and a $500 cap per group per year. The 2026 window closed on August 15; re-check each spring with PMBC at (215) 685-3981 or tireroundup@phila.gov.
• Excluded. Businesses, shops, dealerships, body shops and any generator that pays for private disposal are outside every City programme. Truck, tractor, oversized and commercial tires are not addressed by the City routes at all — they go to a private hauler or a PA DEP-approved waste tire processor (nearest listed to Philadelphia: Emanuel Tires of PA, Conshohocken, 610-277-6670).
• Cost. No charge is published for the City residential routes, and no price is published for private or retail disposal. Request a quote rather than expecting a figure.
• Three things the City does not publish: whether rims must come off at the convenience centers, whether truck or oversized tires are accepted anywhere in the City system, and what any private disposal costs. Confirm each before anything leaves your property.

Quick Facts

Is Your Address on Philadelphia City Collection?

The City routes turn on the address before they turn on the tires. Municipal collection serves inhabited private parcels with six units or fewer, plus qualifying condominium, co-operative, retail and professional-office parcels. Excluded from municipal collection are properties with more than six units, any property on private collection, and named generators — gas stations, service stations, body shops and automotive repair shops.

Residential Bulk Collection repeats the same line: single-family homes and multi-family dwellings up to six units only, while larger apartment buildings, non-qualifying condominiums and commercial properties must use a private hauler. The programme began September 16, 2024 and is appointment-only.

For tires specifically, the test is simple: does your address receive City sanitation collection? If yes, the two City routes are open to you. If no — a large building, a private-collection property, or a business address — your tires go to a private hauler or a DEP-listed processor, and the City's four-tire limits never come into play.

Why Tires Never Go in the Philadelphia Trash or Recycling

The City states the rule in plain language and then offers its own alternatives. Tires appear under "Not accepted for curbside collection" in the residential trash and recycling rules, which point readers to either four or fewer automotive tires at a sanitation convenience center, or a drop-off site for the annual Tire Round-Up Program. The Special Items page repeats the same two routes, and the seasonal Household Hazardous Waste events do not list tires among accepted materials — so those events are not a tire route either.

That closes every curb-adjacent option at once. A tire left in a trash cart, a recycling bin, a shared building bin or a mixed bulk pile is not accepted material, and improper placement may be treated as illegal dumping.

Pennsylvania frames the state side under the Waste Tire Recycling Act (Act 190 of 1996). The Department of Environmental Protection maintains the approved transporter and processor lists and tracks county and municipal collection programmes, and it notes that a major tire fire under a Philadelphia highway caused millions of dollars in damage. The same physical facts drive the municipal rules: piles of tires hold standing water and breed mosquitoes, and once a pile catches it burns hot and long.

Route 1: Four Tires a Day at the Six Sanitation Convenience Centers

For one to four tires and access to a vehicle, this is the fastest route in the city. No appointment, no phone call, no service request — the find-a-center page lists "Automotive tires (limited to four per day)."

At the gate. Bring proof of Philadelphia residency. Personal or commercial vehicles are allowed only if total vehicle weight is under 6,000 pounds; commercial contractors and vehicles carrying commercial loads are not allowed. Residents may drop off regular household items once a day and oversized items once a week.

Hours. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed City holidays. Older City pages describe extended summer hours — treat those as out of date and plan around the current 8-to-6 window.

Cost. The City's no-charge statement — the centers are "a convenient, free service for City residents" and "there is no charge to drop-off materials" — comes from an earlier City news page. The current find-a-center page states no fee without repeating the word "free." Either way, no charge is published for the residential routes, and nothing about private or retail disposal can be read into that.

The six centers:

Confirm the Southwest address before you drive. One City page gives 3033 S. 63rd St. and another gives 3303 S. 63rd St. Check the current find-a-center page rather than trusting any address block, including this one.

The rim question. No official City page states a rim rule for the convenience centers. The rim requirement is published for Bulk Collection only. Ask 311 before you load.

Route 2: Bulk Collection by Appointment (Rims Removed)

If you cannot haul tires yourself, or you would rather not, Residential Bulk Collection picks them up at the normal collection point — and it is the one place the City publishes the rim rule.

Book it. Schedule at bulkcollection.phila.gov or through 311, and keep the service request number. It is appointment-only, with one appointment per household per week.

What it takes. The "Items We Collect" list includes "Passenger car tires (rims must be removed; 4 tires maximum per appointment)." Four tires is the tire-specific cap, and the appointment also carries a four bulk items limit. Official sources do not say whether four tires count as one of those four bulk items — plan for the tire cap to be the binding number and keep the rest of the pile small.

Eligibility. Residential households on City collection, including multi-family properties with up to six units. Not eligible: buildings with more than six units, condominiums that do not qualify for City collection, and commercial properties — those must use a private hauler.

Set-out. Place items at the normal collection point — curbside or rear driveway — the evening before pickup, no earlier than 5:00 p.m. in fall and winter or 7:00 p.m. in spring and summer, and have them curbside by 7:00 a.m. on pickup day. Label each item with the 4-letter Pickup Code emailed after scheduling, using a marker or a taped sheet of paper. Sanitation will not enter the home, so you move the tires yourself. Earlier is not an early start; it is a set-out violation.

Route 3: The Seasonal Tire Round-up Program (Community Groups Only)

The Tire Round-up is not a resident disposal route. Run with the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee, it pays organised groups to clear illegally dumped tires from public spaces.

Who qualifies. PMBC block clubs, certified recycling groups, Park Friends groups, organised civic groups, Neighborhood Advisory Committees, Town Watch organisations and other City-certified groups. Registration is capped at the first 150 eligible groups each year and requires proof of a federal tax ID and 501(c)(3) designation. A group identification number is required at the drop-off site.

What it pays. 50 cents per illegally discarded tire, with a 1,000-tire drop-off limit and a $500 cap per group per year. Only illegally discarded tires qualify — tires from fee-paying private sources such as auto repair shops, mechanic shops, car dealers and private storage lots are ineligible, and presenting them misuses the programme.

Dates are cycle-specific, and the 2026 cycle has closed. In 2026, registration closed July 3 and collection ran six consecutive Saturdays from July 11 through August 15. Do not drive to a site on last season's dates. Re-check each spring with PMBC at (215) 685-3981 or tireroundup@phila.gov (office: 2601 W. Glenwood Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121).

If you are an individual with dumped tires, the reimbursement is not open to you. Bring up to four tires per day to a convenience center, and report larger piles to 3-1-1.

More Than Four Tires, Business Tires, and Retailer Take-Back

Over the City limits. Centers cap a trip at four tires per day and Bulk Collection caps at four per appointment, so larger volumes mean repeated permitted trips, a private hauler, or a DEP-approved processor. There is no published exemption that lets a household move ten tires in one trip.

Business and commercial tires. Dealerships, repair shops, body shops, gas stations, service stations, landlords clearing tenant tires and any generator paying for private disposal must use private disposal regardless of count. No City route takes them, and the Tire Round-up excludes them.

Where to look. DEP publishes approved waste tire transporters and processors, plus lists of county and municipal collection programmes; inclusion on the list is not an endorsement. The nearest listed processor to Philadelphia is Emanuel Tires of PA in Conshohocken, 610-277-6670. No rate or price is published by the City or DEP, so request a quote directly.

Truck, tractor, and oversized tires. Official sources do not address these at either City route. Route them to a private hauler or a listed processor rather than loading them for a convenience center.

Retailer take-back. A convenience, not a guaranteed route. No Philadelphia or Pennsylvania source mandates consumer take-back or publishes a retail tire fee to residents, so acceptance and any charge are store-specific. Ask the shop before you assume the old set leaves with the new one.

Other items have their own rules. This page covers tires only. For household items that do travel curbside, see the Philadelphia guides for appliances, furniture, mattresses, electronics and paint — paint in particular is a hazardous-waste route, not a trash route.

Which Philadelphia Tire Route Fits Your Situation?

Count and address type decide everything. One to four passenger tires fit the free center drop-off or one bulk appointment. More than four needs repeated permitted trips or a private hauler for the balance. Illegally dumped tires in bulk belong to the group-only Round-up, and business tires go to a hauler or processor regardless of count.

Apartment and Renter Edge Cases

Six units or fewer. Renters on City collection can book Bulk Collection (rims removed, up to four tires per appointment) and can also self-haul to a convenience center.

Over six units. The building is outside Bulk Collection and municipal collection entirely; the property must use a private hauler. That is a rule about the building, not about you as a tenant.

The unresolved question. Official sources do not state whether a renter in a large building may personally deliver up to four tires to a convenience center. Center eligibility is residency-based and does not explicitly exclude them, which suggests yes — but it is not confirmed. Ask 311, and ask your building manager what the property provides.

Outdated ID. Bring a lease or a utility bill alongside a photo ID showing an older address, so the residency requirement is satisfied either way.

No vehicle. Self-hauling needs a vehicle under 6,000 pounds. Use a bulk appointment if the address qualifies, or a private hauler.

Never the building bins. Tires in shared bins or at the curb may be treated as illegal dumping, and no official source requires landlords or building management to accept, store or haul tenant tires.

Prep Before the Tires Leave the Property

1. Remove rims for Bulk Collection. The portal is explicit. For a convenience center trip, do not assume the same rule — no official page states one; ask the City.
2. Count against the caps. Four per day at a center; four per appointment for bulk, inside four bulk items and one appointment per week.
3. Book bulk at bulkcollection.phila.gov or through 311, and keep the service request number.
4. Label each bulk item with the 4-letter Pickup Code emailed after scheduling.
5. Set out within the window — the evening before, no earlier than 5:00 p.m. fall/winter or 7:00 p.m. spring/summer, curbside by 7:00 a.m. on pickup day.
6. Bring proof of residency to a center, and confirm the site's current address and hours before driving.
7. Check the vehicle is under 6,000 pounds and the load is household, not commercial. Contractors and commercial loads are refused at the gate.
8. Separate business and commercial tires. No City route takes them, and they must never be mixed into a general bulk pile.
9. For the Tire Round-up, register with PMBC in advance and carry the group identification number to the site.

Safety and Legal Caveats

• Never set tires at the curb, in a trash or recycling cart, or in a building bin. Tires are not accepted curbside material and improper placement may be treated as illegal dumping. Never dump tires — report large piles to 3-1-1.
• Lift carefully. Passenger tires are heavy and awkward, and rims add significant weight. Get help rather than moving a set of four alone, and load them with your back straight and the tire close to your body.
• Only illegally discarded tires qualify for the Tire Round-up. Presenting fee-paying tires misuses the programme and puts group eligibility at risk.
• Do not rely on a shop to take your old tires, and never treat a private-disposal quote as a published rate — no figure is published by the City or DEP.
• Confirm the rim question and the Southwest center address before loading. These are the two details most likely to send you home with the tires still in the car.
• This is a local service rule, not a criminal matter for the ordinary household case — the curbside refusal of tires is a collection rule, and the documented routes above are how you comply with it.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Tires at the curb or in the recycling bin — the most common wrong move, and the one that can be treated as illegal dumping.
2. Assuming a stack of eight goes in one trip; the center cap is four per day.
3. Arriving at a center with a commercial load or a vehicle over 6,000 pounds.
4. Driving to the Southwest Philadelphia center on an address another City page contradicts.
5. Loading rims-on tires for a Bulk Collection appointment.
6. Assuming a rim rule at the centers without confirming with 311.
7. Booking a bulk pickup from a building over six units or a commercial property.
8. Treating the Tire Round-up rebate as open to individual residents.
9. Planning around last season's Round-up dates.
10. Taking tires to a Household Hazardous Waste event, where they are not accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the trash truck take my tires? No — tires are listed under "Not accepted for curbside collection." Use a convenience center or a bulk appointment instead.

How many tires can I take to a center in one trip? Four automotive tires per day. Household items are once a day and oversized items once a week.

Do the centers need an appointment? No. Bring proof of Philadelphia residency and arrive in a vehicle under 6,000 pounds.

Do rims have to come off at the centers? No official page states a rim rule there; the requirement is published for Bulk Collection only. Ask 311 before you load.

How many tires will Bulk Collection take? Four passenger car tires per appointment, rims removed, within four bulk items and one appointment per household per week.

Can my building use Bulk Collection? Only households on City collection with six units or fewer. Larger buildings, non-qualifying condominiums and commercial properties need a private hauler.

I rent in a large building — can I drop off four tires myself? Official sources do not say. Center eligibility is residency-based, which suggests yes, but confirm with 311 and ask your building manager what the property provides.

What does private disposal cost? Nothing is published by the City or DEP, so request a quote from a hauler or a listed processor. No figure can be quoted here.

Can I get paid for tires? Only as a registered community group through the Tire Round-up, and only for illegally discarded tires — 50 cents per tire, up to 1,000 tires and $500 per group per year.

When is the Tire Round-up? It runs in season, and the dates change every cycle. The 2026 window closed August 15, 2026. Re-check each spring with PMBC at (215) 685-3981 or tireroundup@phila.gov.

Are truck or tractor tires accepted anywhere in the City system? Official sources do not address them at either City route. Route them to a private hauler or a DEP-listed processor.

Official Verification Checklist

1. Confirm your address is inside Philadelphia and on City sanitation collection — or that it has more than six units or private collection and is not.
2. Count the tires. Four or fewer fits one center trip or one bulk appointment; more than four means repeated permitted trips or a private hauler.
3. Identify the tire types. Automotive and passenger tires only for the City routes; truck, tractor, commercial and business-generated tires go elsewhere.
4. Pick the route — free center drop-off, or a bulk appointment for four rims-off passenger tires.
5. Confirm the center address and hours on the City's find-a-center page, including the Southwest Philadelphia street number.
6. Ask the City about rims at the centers. No official page states a rule there.
7. For bulk, book at bulkcollection.phila.gov or 311, keep the 4-letter Pickup Code, and set out within the stated window.
8. For business or over-limit tires, contact a private hauler or a DEP-approved processor (nearest listed: Emanuel Tires of PA, 610-277-6670) and request a quote.
9. For dumped tires, check the current Tire Round-up deadline with PMBC and report large piles to 3-1-1.
10. In a building over six units, confirm with the City whether you may personally deliver up to four tires to a convenience center.

Jurisdiction: What This Guide Covers

This guide covers the City of Philadelphia Department of Sanitation service area (Philadelphia County) and residential households on City collection, with the six-unit line separating City-served from private-collection properties. Gas stations, service stations, body shops and automotive repair shops are excluded generators, and business-generated tires are outside all City programmes regardless of count. Properties on private collection are outside municipal collection at any unit count.

Neighbouring counties and municipalities run their own collection and household hazardous waste programmes, and their tire rules may differ. Landlords, HOAs and building management can add their own storage, bin and hauler rules on top of the City's — they can make disposal more restrictive, but they cannot make tires acceptable where the City refuses them. Verify with the City or your property manager before anything leaves your property.

Sources

Checked against official City of Philadelphia and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pages on September 9, 2026. Verify current details before acting.

1. Residential trash and recycling rules — City of Philadelphia, Department of Sanitation: https://www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-sanitation/about/rules-and-regulations/residential-trash-and-recycling-rules/
2. Find a trash or recycling center — City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov/services/trash-recycling-city-upkeep/residential-trash-and-recycling/find-a-trash-or-recycling-center/
3. Find a Sanitation Convenience Center to drop off trash or recycling — City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov/services/trash-recycling-city-upkeep/find-a-sanitation-convenience-center-to-drop-off-trash-or-recycling/
4. Special items — City of Philadelphia, Recycling Program: https://www.phila.gov/programs/recycling-program/special-items/
5. Residential Bulk Collection portal — City of Philadelphia: https://bulkcollection.phila.gov/
6. Residential Bulk Collection Program — City of Philadelphia, Department of Sanitation: https://www.phila.gov/documents/residential-bulk-collection-program
7. Tire Round-up Program — City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov/programs/tire-round-up-program/
8. 2026 Tire Round-up Program release — City of Philadelphia, Department of Sanitation: https://www.phila.gov/2025-04-25-tire-round-up-program/
9. Sanitation Convenience Centers (earlier City news page, address and no-charge statement only): https://www.phila.gov/news/department-of-streets/sanitation-convenience-centers
10. Drop off household hazardous waste — City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov/services/trash-recycling-city-upkeep/dispose-of-household-hazardous-waste/
11. Waste Tire Program — Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/waste-programs/solid-waste-programs/waste-tire-program
12. List of Waste Tire Processors — Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/waste-programs/solid-waste-programs/waste-tire-program/list-of-waste-tire-processors

Contacts: Philadelphia 311 (dial 311 inside the city, or 3-1-1 to report large dumped piles); Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (215) 685-3981 / tireroundup@phila.gov; Emanuel Tires of PA, Conshohocken, 610-277-6670 (DEP-listed processor, inclusion is not an endorsement).

Jurisdiction reminder: this guide covers the City of Philadelphia Department of Sanitation service area only. If your address is outside Philadelphia, in a building with more than six units, or on private collection, your rules differ. Confirm with the City or 311 before acting.

Center hours, addresses, drop limits, programme dates and fee wording all change. Confirm your route with Philadelphia 311 — and confirm the rim question and the Southwest Philadelphia center address — before you load a vehicle.