How to Dispose of Old Tires in Cape Girardeau, MO

Why you can't just trash a tire

Scrap tires are handled separately from regular waste across Missouri. They trap methane, float to the surface of landfills, and collect standing water that breeds mosquitoes - so they're kept out of the general waste stream. In Cape Girardeau specifically, the City Transfer Station does not accept tires at all. That means you need a purpose-built option. Here are the real ones.

Option 1: Leave them with the tire retailer

The easiest route is at the point of purchase. When you buy new tires, the shop will take your old ones for recycling. Missouri charges a 50-cent scrap-tire fee on each new tire sold at retail - a fee that has funded the state's scrap-tire management program since 1990. That small fee is what keeps the recycling system running, so buying new tires is the natural time to hand off the old set.

Option 2: Take them to a scrap-tire recycler

If you have loose tires and aren't buying new ones, tire shops and scrap-tire recyclers in the Cape Girardeau area will usually accept them for a modest per-tire fee. Call ahead to confirm they take drop-offs and what they charge. Tires on rims sometimes cost more because the rim has to be separated.

Option 3: Missouri DNR scrap-tire programs

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources runs a statewide scrap-tire program, including cleanup and collection efforts and reimbursement for nonprofits that collect tires during voluntary cleanups. Watch for community tire-collection or amnesty events, which occasionally let residents drop off a limited number of tires free or cheaply. The Southeast Missouri Solid Waste Management District is a good regional contact for area events.

What happens to recycled tires

Scrap tires don't just get buried - Missouri's program is built around reuse. Collected tires are commonly shredded into tire-derived fuel, ground into crumb rubber for playground surfaces, athletic tracks, and rubberized asphalt, or repurposed into products like mats and landscaping material. That's the reason the 50-cent fee and the dedicated recyclers exist: it keeps a durable, hard-to-bury material in a productive loop instead of piling up in illegal dumps.

Farm, ATV, and oversized tires

Large agricultural tractor tires, ATV tires, and oversized equipment tires cost more to recycle than passenger tires and not every drop-off takes them. If you're clearing a farm or rural property in the Cape Girardeau area, call the recycler ahead to confirm they accept the size you have and what the per-tire charge will be, since these are priced differently from car and light-truck tires.

What to know before you go

• Count your tires - most drop-offs price per tire.
• Note whether they're on or off the rim; on-rim usually costs more.
• Passenger, truck, and tractor tires may be priced differently.
• Never dump or burn tires - illegal tire dumping carries penalties in Missouri.

We haul them (the easy way)

Cleaning out a garage, shop, or property with a pile of old tires? Rather than making per-tire trips, we can collect them along with your other junk and route them to a proper scrap-tire recycler. Tire disposal carries a per-tire fee that we fold into your quote, so you get one price and one pickup. Call (573) 266-2040.

Sources

Missouri scrap-tire fee and program: dnr.mo.gov. City Transfer Station accepted items: cityofcapegirardeau.org. Last verified 2026-08-01.