AN ACT relating to waste tires.
SB86 revises Kentucky’s waste tire program by narrowing and clarifying which tire accumulations and uses are exempt from regulation. The bill removes a prior exemption for people who store waste tires for resale, while retaining the exemption for agricultural accumulation and the grandfathered exemption for certain pre-1991 tire accumulations used as part of a business. It also updates the rules governing disposal, processing, transport, and accumulation of waste tires, including conditions for landfill disposal, tire-derived fuel, and other energy recovery uses.
The bill increases the amount of waste tires that certain businesses may keep on-site without registering with the cabinet. Retail tire sellers may accumulate up to 1,000 waste tires at the place of sale, and licensed automotive recycling dealers may also accumulate up to 1,000 waste tires at their facilities, so long as storage requirements are met and public access is restricted after business hours. The bill also clarifies that retailers may transport the tires they accumulate without separate transporter registration if the tires remain in their possession until delivery. At the same time, it preserves registration and approval requirements for larger accumulations, processing, and transport activities, and requires the cabinet to approve registrations when the stated requirements are satisfied.
SB86 would amend KRS 224.50-854, 224.50-856, and 224.50-858, changing how Kentucky regulates waste tire accumulation, transport, processing, and disposal. It would expand on-site storage allowances for tire retailers and automotive recycling dealers, remove an older resale-storage exemption, and clarify permitting and public notice requirements for tire-derived fuel and other disposal methods. The bill affects tire retailers, automotive recyclers, waste tire transporters, processors, landfills, incinerators, and the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s enforcement and registration process.
Based on the bill text alone and the absence of committee transcripts or recorded votes, the measure appears to be a technical regulatory update rather than a highly controversial policy change. Its structure suggests support for practical business operations in the tire and automotive recycling sectors while maintaining environmental controls over waste tire handling. No formal vote history or hearing testimony is available here to indicate broader legislative sentiment.
The main points of potential contention are the balance between environmental protection and business flexibility. Supporters would likely favor the higher on-site accumulation limits for tire retailers and automotive recyclers and the clarification that tire-derived fuel users do not need a local determination, while opponents may worry that loosening storage and fuel-use rules could increase fire risk, vector problems, or local environmental impacts. The removal of the resale-storage exemption may also be significant for businesses that previously relied on that carveout, though the bill does not include any recorded testimony identifying specific supporters or critics.