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Waste Tires Permitting
Waste Tire Permits
Waste tire permits are required for facilties that either process waste tires or collects waste tires. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) oversees this program to make sure waste tires are managed safely, does not harm people or the environment and used in approved end-use projects.
Before a facility can operate, it must apply for a permit that explains how it will manage waste tires, prevent pollution, and protect nearby communities. New facilities must meet several pre‑application requirements, such as notifying the public and submitting and Environmental Assessment Statement. LDEQ staff reviews each application carefully to ensure the facility meets state rules found in the Louisiana Administrative Code.
Once a permit is issued, the facility must follow strict operating standards. These include proper waste tire storage, regular inspections, recordkeeping, and preventing litter, fires, or health hazards. LDEQ also conducts inspections to make sure facilities follow the rules.
If a facility wants to change ownership, expand, or close, it must update its permit or submit a closure plan. Overall, Louisiana’s solid waste permit system helps ensure that waste is handled responsibly, protecting public health and the environment.
Standard Waste Tire Permits are required for facilities that process waste tires and for centers that collect them. The rules for getting these permits are listed in Louisiana’s solid waste regulations. Waste tire processors must follow the application requirements in LAC 33:VII.10517 and meet the standards in LAC 33:VII.10525. Waste tire collection centers must follow the application rules in LAC 33:VII.10518 and the standards in LAC 33:VII.10527.
Any facility that wants to use mobile waste tire processing equipment must also have a valid waste tire processor permit. This helps make sure all waste tires are handled safely and responsibly.
Waste Tire Permit Application Guidance
Waste Tire Mobile Processor Application
Modification requests to waste tires permits are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10511.B and should include only sections that are proposed to be modified.
Any facility that wants to make changes after November 20, 2011 must submit an application. They only need to fill out SSections 1–8 for waste tire facilitie and the parts that relate to the specific change. They should not include blank sections or attachments that do not apply. If the application does not clearly show where to describe the change, the facility can add an attachment explaining it in the space provided at the end of the checklist. Major modification requests should be submitted in a 3‑ring binder or as loose pages so updated pages can be added later if needed.
Waste Tire Processors are required to submit monthly reports to LDEQ by the 12th day of the month and must include:
- waste tire facility reports and application for payment
- generator manifests
- processor manifest
- monthly collection center reports, if applicable
- unmanifested waste tire logs
- Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry certified scale-weight tickets
- any other documentation requested by the administrative authority.
Waste Tire Collection Facilites are required to submit monthly reports to LDEQ by the 15th day of the month.
Permitted waste tire facilities must set aside money to cover the cost of closing the facility. This money is called financial assurance. The amount is based on how much it would cost a third‑party company to do the work if the facility could not do it itself. Each year, the facility has to review and update its financial assurance. They must adjust the amount for inflation and increase it if the expected costs become higher than what they have set aside. This helps ensure the site can be safely closed and maintained.
Standard permitted waste tire processors can apply to the state for financial help with the costs of processing and marketing waste tires. To receive this funding, the processor must sign an agreement with the state. This agreement has to be renewed every year and can be reviewed at any time. After a review, the state may decide to suspend, change, or cancel the agreement if there is a valid reason. If this happens, the state must give the processor a 60‑day written notice and allow them a chance to explain why the action should not be taken.
Government agencies that want to run a waste tire collection center or processing facility must notify the the department before they begin operating. These government‑run collection centers and processing facilities do not have to get a standard waste tire collection center permit as long as they follow the rules listed in LAC 33:VII.10525.J (processing facilities) and LAC 33:VII.10527.H (collection facilites).
Waste Tire Generator Notification Form
Waste Tire Generators, Motor Vehicle Dealers, and One Time Events
Waste tire generators and motor vehicle dealers play important roles in Louisiana’s waste tire management system. Waste tire generators are businesses that create waste tires through their daily operations, such as tire shops, repair shops, and service centers. They must store waste tires safely, keep them dry, prevent mosquito breeding, and make sure the tires are picked up only by registered waste tire transporters. They also have to keep records showing where their waste tires go.
Motor vehicle dealers also generate waste tires when they sell new vehicles or replace tires on used vehicle. Like other generators, they must follow state rules for proper storage, recordkeeping, and disposal. Both waste tire generators and motor vehicle dealers help protect the environment by making sure old tires are handled responsibly and sent to approved facilities for recycling or proper disposal.
One time clean-up events are short term duration events, such as single events cleanup or government tire sweeps, where a large number of tires will be collected and will require pickup by a waste tire transporter for proper processing and reuse.
Waste tire generators are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10519. These facilities are required to notify within 30-days of commencement of business and are required to submit monthly reports by the 20th of the following month.
- Waste Tire Generator Notification Form
- Waste Tire Generator Guidance (Updated Nov. 23, 2022)
- Waste Tire Consumer Notices (NEW--effective Oct. 1, 2018)
- Monthly Waste Tire Fee Report Form (WT-02) (Updated Jan. 23, 2024)
- Monthly Waste Tire Fee Report Form - Consolidated Accounts (NEW--effective Oct. 1, 2018)
- Active Waste Tire Generators List
Motor Vehicle Dealer are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10521. These facilities are required to notify within 30-days of commencement of business and are required to submit monthly reports by the 20th of the following month.
Note: The forms for Waste Tire Generators and Motor Vechicle Dealers are the same. Facilities that conduct both activities only need to submit one form.
- Waste Tire Generator Notification Form
- Waste Tire Generator Guidance (Updated Nov. 23, 2022)
- Waste Tire Consumer Notices (NEW--effective Oct. 1, 2018)
- Monthly Waste Tire Fee Report Form (WT-02) (Updated Jan. 23, 2024)
- Monthly Waste Tire Fee Report Form - Consolidated Accounts (NEW--effective Oct. 1, 2018)
- Active Waste Tire Generators List
One Time Waste Tire Cleanups are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10529.
Transporters and Transfer Facilities
Waste tire transporters pick up and haul waste tires to approved facilities using secure, registered vehicles. Transfer facilities temporarily store these tires before they are sent for processing or recycling. Both must follow state rules for safe storage, recordkeeping, and preventing hazards, helping keep waste tires out of illegal dumps.
Waste tire transporters are businesses or individuals registered with the state to pick up and haul waste tires from generators, such as tire shops or dealerships, to approved processing or collection sites. They must use secure vehicles, prevent spills, keep accurate records, and deliver tires only to authorized facilities.
Waste tire transporters are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10523.
Transfer facilities are locations where waste tires are temporarily stored before being sent to a processor and are only allowed to recieve tires from authorized waste tire transporters. These facilities must meet the requirements of LAC 33:VII.10524. They cannot allow tires to pile up in unsafe amounts, and they must maintain clear records of all incoming and outgoing tires.
End-Use Projects
Waste tire end‑use projects focus on finding safe and useful ways to recycle or reuse old tires instead of sending them to landfills. These projects help reduce pollution, prevent illegal dumping, and turn waste tires into valuable products. In Louisiana, approved end‑use projects can include making rubber mulch for playgrounds, creating athletic tracks, producing fuel for certain industries, or using shredded tires in construction projects like road foundations. Each project must meet state safety and environmental standards to make sure the tires are handled properly. Facilities must show that the tires will be used in a way that does not harm people or the environment. They also have to keep records and follow guidelines set by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). Waste tire end‑use projects are important because they support recycling, reduce waste, and help communities find practical uses for materials that would otherwise be thrown away.
End-Market Use Projects are a project that uses whole waste tires or tire material in a way that has been approved by the state. This means the tires are reused or recycled for a specific purpose that meets safety and environmental rules.
These projects are requested by a permitted processor to LDEQ for approval. These projects are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10515.
A High Volume End‑Use Facility is a place that uses whole waste tires or tire material for large projects that need long‑term storage. These projects must be approved by the state. This type of facility can also include ports where tires are stored for a longer time before being shipped by boat to approved end‑use projects in other states or other countries.
High Volume End-Use Facilities are regulated under LAC 33:VII.10514. Approved facilities are authorized for five years from the date of the approval.
The following is a partial list of beneficial end uses for tire chips that the department has approved in the past:
- Tire derived fuel
- Lightweight backfill in gas venting systems
- Bulkheads Septic system drain fields
- Leachate collection systems in new cell construction
- Ground rubber applications
- New rubber products
- Rubber modified asphalt
- Landscape mulch
- Athletic/recreational surfaces
- Rubber modified asphalt and sealants
- Civil engineering application
- Tire derived aggregate
- Drainage aggregate
- Lightweight fill
- Landfill leachate collection and removal systems
- Landfill gas collection systems
- Septic system drain fields
*Please Note: Each individual beneficial use must be approved by the Department on a case by case basis
Grants and Loans
The state may give a grant or loan to a person or business if the money will help with certain goals. These goals include encouraging research and development of new products made from waste tires, especially products that can be sold and are useful. The funding can also be used to promote waste‑tire products that have a clear benefit. Another purpose is to help reduce Louisiana’s waste tire problem by supporting projects that manage or reuse waste tires in safe and helpful ways.
The program — launched to help local governments tackle the widespread problem of unauthorized and illegally dumped waste tires — will provide up to $20,000 per recipient reimbursement-based funding to selected municipalities and parishes. Funding may be used for tire-related cleanup, enforcement and prevention initiatives.
Examples of eligible uses of funds include:
- Equipment purchases to support cleanup or prevention of illegal dumping
-
Overtime or labor costs for parish or municipal staff handling collection or enforcement
- Site-specific cleanup of newly discovered illegal tire dump locations
- Installation of barriers, signage or fencing to prevent future dumping
How to Apply
To be considered for the Waste Tire Pilot Program, municipalities and parishes must submit a proposal by Friday, July 18, outlining how the funds would be used to address unauthorized waste tire disposal in their jurisdiction. Proposals should be mailed to:
Selected applicants will enter into an intergovernmental agreement with LDEQ and receive reimbursement for qualifying expenses incurred during the program period.
Key Dates
- Applications open: May 1, 2025
- Application deadline: July 18, 2025
Questions?
For more information, please contact Dutch Donlon in LDEQ’s Office of Environmental Services at Lewis.Donlon@la.gov or (225) 219-3388.
A person can apply for a grant or loan from the Waste Tire Management Fund by submitting an application to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Office of Management and Finance. The application must be filled out on a form from the department’s website. Along with the form, the applicant must include several pieces of information, such as a description of the project, the amount of money requested, how long the project will take, and how the funds will help develop or promote useful products made from waste tires. The applicant must also explain how they will track the money, report progress each year, and obtain any needed permits.
After the department receives the application, it will review it. The department may ask for more information, approve the application, or deny it. If the application is denied, that decision is final. If it is approved, the applicant and the department will create a grant or loan agreement. This agreement explains the goals, responsibilities, and conditions the applicant must follow.
The Waste Tire Grant and Loan requirements can be found in LAC 33:VII.10539 and 10541.