Tire Disposal in Anderson, IN
Tire disposal is one of the few junk removal jobs where Indiana spells out exactly what can and cannot happen. Whole tires may not be landfilled, so they cannot simply go out with the trash, and anyone who produces more than a dozen waste tires a year has paperwork to keep. Around Anderson, old tires can go to the county's recycling center or the transfer station, both for a fee, or out with a hauler who collects them from a garage or a fence line. The dump and drop-off guide lists where each option is and what it takes.
About $5 - $15 per tire; tires on rims at the higher end · full pricing guide
IDEM's guidance on managing waste tires in Indiana says whole tires may not be disposed of in a landfill. A tire has to be cut into four roughly equal pieces, or have both sidewalls removed, leaving three pieces, before it can be landfilled. Cutting a steel-belted tire by hand is slow and hard work, which is why most tires instead go to collection sites that pass them on to processors who shred or recycle them.
Around Anderson, two public drop-off options take tires. The Madison County Recycling Center, run by the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District on Mounds Road, accepts tires of all types, and its guide notes that fees may apply. The Madison Avenue Transfer Station on West 66th Street lists truck and auto tires among the materials it accepts, with fees by type and quantity. Hours at both are limited, so checking before loading a pickup avoids a wasted trip.
Indiana also puts a fee on the front end. Under state law, retailers collect a 25-cent fee on every new tire sold, and anyone who generates more than 12 waste tires a year must keep manifests from the transporter who hauls them away. That second rule matters to small repair shops, farms and landlords clearing a property with a pile of tires behind the garage, since the paperwork is part of doing it correctly.
For a hauler, tires are priced per piece. HomeGuide's 2026 figures put tire removal at about $5 per tire without a rim and about $10 with a rim, and Angi's range is $5 to $15 each. Truck, tractor and trailer tires cost more because of their size and weight. Tires stacked outdoors for years often hold water, dirt and debris, and mosquitoes breed in the standing water, which makes clearing an old pile a job worth doing before summer.
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When Old Tires Need to Go
Tire piles tend to build up quietly around Anderson properties. These are the usual reasons to clear them:
- A stack of old tires behind a garage or shed
- Tires left by a previous owner or tenant
- Spare sets from vehicles that were sold or scrapped
- Farm, trailer or equipment tires past their service life
- Standing water in tires breeding mosquitoes each summer
Scrapping the car the tires came from? See junk car removal.
Why Indiana treats tires differently
Whole tires cause problems in landfills and on the ground. Buried whole, they trap air and tend to work their way back toward the surface. Piled outdoors, they collect rainwater that breeds mosquitoes, and a large pile that catches fire can burn for a long time and produce thick, toxic smoke.
Indiana's rules respond with a disposal ban on whole tires, a fee on new tire sales and manifests for anyone generating more than a dozen waste tires a year. Together they push tires toward processors that shred them for fuel, civil engineering fill or rubber products rather than into a hole in the ground.
Clearing a large or old tire pile
A pile that has sat for years is more work than its tire count suggests. Tires fill with water, mud, leaves and sometimes animals, and emptying each one is part of the job. Tires on rims have to be separated from the wheels before processing, or priced higher.
A pile mixed with other junk, such as scrap metal, lumber or old appliances, needs sorting so each material goes to the right place. For a property with dozens of tires, it helps to count them first, since the number sets the price and decides whether the manifest rule for more than 12 tires a year applies.
Tires left behind at rentals and estates
Tires are one of the items most often left behind when a house changes hands. A tenant moves out and leaves a set of winter tires in the garage, or a family clearing a parent's home finds spares from cars sold decades ago.
Because the city's cart service and Heavy Pick-Up are built around household trash and large furniture and appliances, tires need their own trip. Folding them into a larger cleanout is usually the least costly way to deal with them, since the hauler is already on site, but they should still be counted and mentioned when the quote is requested, because most haulers price them by the piece.
Drop Off, Retailer or a Hauler
Old tires around Anderson usually leave by one of three routes:
Drop-off site
The Madison County Recycling Center takes tires of all types and the Madison Avenue Transfer Station takes car and truck tires, both for a fee. It suits owners with a truck and a few tires.
Tire retailer
When new tires are bought, the shop may take the old ones for a disposal fee, which is often the easiest route for a single set.
Hauler
A hauler collects tires from wherever they sit, at about $5 to $15 each in 2026 guides, and delivers them to a site that accepts them. It suits large or scattered piles.
Tire Disposal FAQs
Does a tire on a rim cost more to dispose of?
Usually. HomeGuide's 2026 figures put tire removal at about $5 per tire without a rim and about $10 with one, since the steel or aluminum wheel has to be separated before the tire can be processed. The wheel itself has scrap value. Owners with a pile of tires on rims can sometimes save by having a tire shop dismount them, though the shop may charge for that work.
What counts as a waste tire generator in Indiana?
Anyone who produces more than 12 waste tires in a year. Under Indiana law, those generators must keep manifests from the transporter who hauls the tires away, documenting where they went. The rule catches repair shops, farms, fleet owners and property owners clearing a large pile, not just tire dealers. Households replacing a set of four now and then fall well below the threshold.
Can old tires be cut up and put in the trash?
Indiana's rules allow a tire to be landfilled once it has been cut into four roughly equal pieces or had both sidewalls removed. In practice, cutting steel-belted tires takes power tools and real effort, and whether pieces are accepted in a household cart is a question for the city's hauler. Most owners find a drop-off site or a hauler far simpler.
Where can tractor and farm tires go in Madison County?
The East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's guide says its Madison County Recycling Center accepts tires of all types, with fees that may apply, which covers large farm and equipment tires. Very large tires may carry higher fees and need a truck or trailer to deliver. A farm clearing more than 12 waste tires in a year also falls under Indiana's manifest rule.
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