(The Center Square) – Seattle shelled out $2.9 million cleaning up dumped tires last year, and city officials say the problem is ongoing.
According to Seattle Public Utilities, there has been an 82% increase in large-scale tire dumping in the city since 2022. This includes one recent case in which more than 120 tires were discovered in a single location.
Brad Wong, acting SPU public information officer, told The Center Square in an email that out of the $2.9 million spent on cleaning up illegal dumping, nearly $50,000 went to disposal costs, with the remaining funds going to pay for employees’ resources and time.
The financial impact is only one part of the challenge. Wong noted that the chemicals released from dumped tires pose risks to the environment and wildlife, especially in the city’s underserved areas.
One chemical, born from tire wear, can be present in urban stormwater runoff, which directly causes death in aquatic species like the coho salmon. The contamination also attracts rodents, poses fire hazards and creates stagnant water that can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Seattle Public Utilities is now ramping up enforcement to reduce both the volume and cost of these incidents. The department is investigating the root causes of this increase in illegal tire dumping, with early indications pointing to rising commercial disposal costs, unlicensed haulers, gaps in enforcement, and capacity regulations.
“Illegal dumping, especially large-scale tire dumping, places a significant and growing strain on limited public resources,” Wong said. “Every dollar spent on waste tires cleanup and enforcement is a dollar diverted from other core services to keeping Seattle clean and healthy.”
Tire dumping has been an issue for decades. In 2005, the state Legislature created the waste tire removal account to help clean up illegally discarded tires. The account is funded by a $1 fee charged for each new vehicle tire sold in Washington.
According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, the account has an annual budget of $500,000 with funding going toward resources for communities and landowners who discover the unauthorized dumping of tires.
