A Republican bill in the Virginia General Assembly has backing from Democrats to increase regulations on tire recycling.
House Bill 496
House Bill 496 from Delegate Thomas Garrett, R- Goochland, was referred to the Committee on Appropriations on January 31, 2024.
The bill has three requirements:
- for the state to increase the fee on new tire sales from 50 cents to $2 to pay for recycling costs
- for tire producers to register with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- for all haulers to have a license to transfer waste tires to a licensed recycling center or a processing facility and report information to the state
Delegate Garrett said his bill attempts to crack down on people who pick up used tires to sell them and then dump what isn’t sold into rivers and wooded areas.
According to the proposed bill, the Office of the Attorney General would be able to respond to any violations.
Garrett explained how serious tire dumping is:
“I cannot put a canoe in at Hatton Ferry and float two miles down to my family’s property without passing over hundreds of tires. And it’s disgusting, and it’s shameful, and it’s our fault.”