NEWS

State Takes Fight on the Road Against Illegal Tire Dumping in Louisiana

Red River Radio | By Jeff Ferrell

Published September 25, 2024 at 11:08 AM CDT

According to the LDEQ, disposed tires can release toxic chemicals into the environment, leach pollutants into the soil and water, and create hazardous conditions.

Illegal tire dumping is described as one of the top environmental issues in Louisiana.

The state is taking its fight against illegal tire dumping in Louisiana on the road. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is holding six town hall meetings across the state. In a statement posted on the agency’s website, officials characterized the meetings thus far as sparking “critical discussions about best practices for handling the over 4 million tires that reach the end of their lifecycle in Louisiana annually.”
Secretary Aurelia Giacometto says their ultimate goal is to raise awareness about the illegal dumping problem. “Hear directly from the people, what they’re experiencing, take this information back and present it to the governor to find workable solutions to help address the illegal dumped tires and the waste tires.”
In 2022, Former LDEQ Secretary Chuck Carr Brown, Ph.D. said, “Illegal disposal of waste tires continues to be one of the top environmental issues in Louisiana.” If citizens learn of any illegal tire dumping they are urged to report the incident to LDEQ’s Single Point of Contact Line at (225) 219-3640, or file a report online at www.deq.louisiana.gov/page/file-a-complaint-report-an-incident.

Louisiana law (La. R.S. 30:2418(B)) spells out the punishment for a misdemeanor charge of illegal disposal of waste tires as a potential maximum of $25,000 per violation and/or one year in jail. A provision of the law allows the court to suspend a sentence:
· If the offender is placed on supervised probation for at least two years and,
· As a condition of probation, cleans up the site or removes the illegally disposed waste from the site to the satisfaction of the Department of Environmental Quality.
According to the DEQ, disposed tires can release toxic chemicals into the environment, leach pollutants into the soil and water, and create hazardous conditions. They are also prone to catch fire, leading to long-lasting and difficult to extinguish blazes. So-called waste tires also pose health risks. Tires can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of diseases such as West Nile and Zika.

LDEQ Secretary Aurelia S. Giacometto is partnering with the Governor’s Office and the Lt. Governor’s Office on a tour of six communities across Louisiana to engage with the public and raise greater awareness around the environmental issue of waste tires. Gonzales was the first stop, on August 30, 2024, where she met with local parish leaders and heard from members of the public.

Meetings will take place this week in:
· West Monroe: Convention Center, 901 Ridge Ave., West Monroe, LA 71291 09:00 - 11:00 am Sep 26
· Shreveport: Council Chambers, Government Plaza, 505 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101 2:00-4:00 pm Sep 26
For more information regarding waste tires, please visit the DEQ website here.