CT lawmakers want to expand a tire recycling program. It could save you money.
Tire stores would be required to join a statewide recycling program under a bill approved on Wednesday by the Connecticut House of Representatives. Supporters said it will make disposing of old tires cheaper and cleaner.
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Need a new set of wheels? You could save some money under a bill approved by the Connecticut House of Representatives on Wednesday.
It would require every tire store to join a statewide recycling program by 2027.
Supporters said the legislation will also cut down on illegal dumping.
“WILD WEST OUT THERE”
Right now, many customers pay twice to dispose of tires.
When drivers buy new tires, manufacturers like Bridgestone and Goodyear tack on a $2 recycling fee as part of a statewide tire stewardship program. But when they return old tires, drivers pay again because retailers charge a disposal fee.
Connecticut does not regulate those fees.
“It’s been the Wild West out there,” said state Rep. Joe Gresko (D-Stratford). “You could pay $5 a tire; you could pay $20 a tire.”
To combat the problem, the Connecticut House approved a bill requiring stores to join the statewide recycling program by July 2027. Instead of a disposal charge, customers would pay a fixed fee when purchasing a tire.
DUMPING PROBLEM
It's not just about saving drivers money.
Illegal dumping is a costly problem. In 2023, the town of Trumbull had to spend $50,000 removing hundreds of tires left in Old Mine Park. Police arrested two men.
That same year, someone dumped more than 100 tires in a Bridgeport neighborhood.
“Look what somebody did,” Bridgeport resident Steve Nelson said in Feb. 2023. “This is so disrespectful for somebody to think it’s okay to come dump a bunch of tires on our property.”
Sometimes the tires come from stores that collect a disposal fee, but simply dump the old tires instead.
“I got money up front now,” Gresko said. “I could try to resell this tire and take it to, where? I’m just going to dump it.”
WILL IT ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY?
Tire shops support the legislation after opposing a similar bill last year – but they aren't sure it will save drivers money.
Town Fair Tire, which sold 1.1 million tires in Connecticut last year, said they could end up paying wildly inflated prices for tires that only pass through Connecticut.
“The manufacturer, the distributor, does not know how many tires we sell in Connecticut, so if tires are being shipped to our Connecticut warehouse, they are billing us $2 on every tire,” said Town Fair president Michael Barbaro. “Not every tire enters the state through a manufacturer-distributor. There are multiple ways that they come into the state.”
Barbaro said the program must include a better way to track tire sales. Retailers are also lobbying to keep using their existing recycling companies.
Meantime, Republicans argued that it’s cheaper to go back to letting stores manage recycling themselves.
“They have overregulated the tire industry and they’re fixing something that wasn't broken. And now they're breaking it,” said Connecticut House GOP leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford). “I didn’t like the system to begin with; we shouldn’t have done it. It was government sticking their nose into something that they didn't need to do.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The bill now heads to the state Senate. If it passes, supporters said the extra year will give them time to craft a system that works for manufacturers, retailers and customers.
Connecticut already has similar programs for paint and mattresses.
In the meantime, 25 communities (including Redding, Weston and Newtown) have signed up to offer free tire disposal at transfer stations – and 60 more will be added soon.
