• contract for the proper disposal of waste tires with a vendor licensed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)
  
• assure that your waste tires are disposed of at a permitted facility

• prevent the entrapment of water in tires by keeping them indoors or covered

• know that all haulers of over 25 tires must register with FDEP

• accumulate more than 1,500 waste tires without a permit from FDEP

• burn or bury waste tires.

Floridians generate more than 15 million waste tires annually. When improperly managed, waste tires pose a threat to public health and the environment. Tire piles also represent a serious fire hazard. Waste tires are a preferred breeding site for mosquitoes, which are known to transmit various strains of encephalitis.

For more information concerning the proper handling of waste tires, contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Solid and Hazardous Waste (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/shw/default.htm) or the Florida Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (http://floridacenter.org). This information is offered only as guidance. Specific requirements may vary with individual processes and/or businesses.