Subcommittee backs higher tipping fee for undocumented waste tires to ease county costs

The Labor, Commerce and Industry Professions and Occupations Subcommittee voted to report S.171 favorably after adopting technical amendments intended to clarify definitions and avoid agency interpretation.

Representatives of counties and manufacturers said South Carolina’s waste-tire management system is in crisis and that counties are incurring net losses to dispose of tires that must go out of state because of the landfill ban. "The waste tire management system in South Carolina has reached a crisis point. We have counties across the state that are losing money, having to dip into their general fund, to dispose of the waste tires," one presenter said.

The bill would raise the cap on the tipping fee for undocumented tires from $150 per ton to $400 per ton, applied only to undocumented tires. Presenters said counties are already being charged up to $384 per ton for disposal. Supporters said the change would relieve county budgets and preserve voluntary programs such as recycling.

Stakeholders offered a technical amendment to clarify agricultural language and to include "foreign products as defined by '46" to avoid agency interpretation. The subcommittee adopted the technical amendment and a subsequent subcommittee amendment by voice vote. After brief discussion and no recorded opposition, the committee voted to report S.171 favorably to the full committee.

What was not decided: The transcript does not include a roll-call tally and does not specify the legislative text or whether the $400 cap is temporary or permanent. Implementation details (how counties would invoice or collect the fee) were not described on the record.