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Committee hears that 10% DEQ cut squeezes tire districts; lawmakers weigh fee and local fixes
Summary
Regional tire-district directors told the joint committee a 10% reimbursement cut by the Department of Environmental Quality, from $2.09 to $1.88 per tire, has forced service reductions, raised the risk of illegal dumping and prompted proposals including applying the $3 rim-removal fee more broadly and shifting responsibilities to local districts.
Craig Douglas, executive director of the Pulaski County Regional Recycling and Solid Waste District, told the Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee that his district processed more than 880,000 waste tires in 2019 and that a recent Department of Environmental Quality decision to cut the per‑tire reimbursement by 10% — from $2.09 to $1.88 — threatens the viability of current collection and processing arrangements.
Douglas said the cut could reduce revenue for the district’s long‑term contractor, Davis Rubber Company, by about $175,000 based on 2019 volumes. To absorb the shortfall, Pulaski reduced its publicly supported tire collection points from more than 25 to one per county (nine in the district), eliminated a $150 monthly trailer service fee to private retailers, and encouraged private negotiation of hauling rates. Douglas said the policy shift leaves the…
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