AN ACT relating to waste tires.
SB 60 revises Kentucky’s waste tire program by narrowing and clarifying which tire accumulations are exempt from regulation and by updating the rules for disposal, storage, transport, and processing of waste tires. The bill removes an older exemption for persons who store waste tires for resale, while retaining the agricultural-purpose exemption and the grandfathered exemption for certain pre-1991 tire accumulations used as part of a business. It also restates the conditions under which waste tires may be disposed of in landfills, burned as fuel, or used for tire-derived fuel, including public notice and comment requirements for certain approvals.
The bill expands and clarifies special allowances for tire retailers and automotive recycling dealers. Retail tire sellers may keep up to 1,000 waste tires on-site without registering as accumulators if they meet storage and access restrictions, and they may transport those tires without transporter registration if the tires remain in their possession until delivery. Licensed automotive recycling dealers receive a similar 1,000-tire on-site allowance if they comply with storage standards. The bill also updates the registration language for accumulators, transporters, and processors, reaffirming that persons exceeding the stated thresholds must register with the cabinet and receive approval before operating outside the exemptions.
SB 60 would amend KRS 224.50-854, 224.50-856, and 224.50-858, changing the scope of Kentucky’s waste tire regulatory program. It would reduce one exemption, preserve others, and create clearer statutory authority for larger on-site tire inventories at retail tire businesses and licensed automotive recycling facilities, while maintaining cabinet oversight, storage standards, financial assurance, and disclosure requirements for regulated tire handlers. The bill affects tire retailers, auto recyclers, waste tire processors, transporters, and facilities that dispose of or use tires as fuel or tire-derived fuel.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the available context suggests a technical, regulatory measure rather than a highly controversial one. The bill appears designed to modernize and clarify waste tire rules and to provide practical flexibility for certain businesses that routinely handle large numbers of tires. No formal vote history or committee discussion is provided, so there is no documented public sentiment in the record beyond the bill’s administrative and compliance-focused structure.
The main points of potential contention are the removal of the resale-storage exemption and the regulatory treatment of larger tire accumulations at retail and automotive recycling sites. Environmental regulators or waste management advocates could view the bill as either tightening oversight by eliminating an outdated exemption or loosening controls by allowing larger on-site tire inventories for certain businesses. Business stakeholders, especially tire retailers and automotive recyclers, would likely support the expanded on-site storage allowances and the clarified transport rules, while opponents might focus on fire risk, vector control, and the possibility of increased tire stockpiles.