Tire Recycling in Boise

Boise generates tires from more directions than people expect. Alleys behind the older bungalows in the North End and East End often hide a stack from whoever owned the place before, tucked next to a detached garage. Out on the Bench and in West Boise, newer owners are more likely dealing with worn-out tires pulled off a trailer or ATV, or leftovers from a driveway project.

Whatever the source, loose tires don't fit into the same disposal stream as a couch or a pile of branches. They need their own handling, and in Ada County, their own drop-off point.

What Usually Turns Up on a Boise Property

On older North End and East End lots, tires tend to show up as garden borders, raised-bed walls, or just forgotten stacks against a fence line from a past owner's project. Mid-century ranch homes across the Bench and West Bench more often have a set of worn passenger tires in the garage or carport, sometimes still mounted on rims.

In West Boise, Southeast Boise, and Barber Valley, where construction has been steady, it's common to find tires left behind from equipment or trailers used during a build. Rimmed tires and bare tires need to be sorted differently, since the rim is scrap metal and the tire itself is handled on its own.

• Bare tires (no rim) — sorted for tire recycling
• Rimmed tires — rim pulled for scrap metal, tire set aside separately
• Tires used as garden edging or retaining walls — often full of dirt and need cleaning out before they can be hauled
• ATV, trailer, and lawn equipment tires — smaller, but still counted and sorted the same way
• Tires stored flat under a deck or in a crawlspace — watch for water and pests before moving them

Where Tires Actually Go in Ada County

Tires pulled from a Boise property head to the Ada County Landfill, also known as Hidden Hollow, up in the North Boise foothills off Seamans Gulch Road. The landfill takes tires, but charges a per-tire fee, which is why a job gets sorted and counted before it's hauled rather than just tossed in with everything else.

The same site takes scrap metal, clean unpainted wood, and e-waste, but it won't take hazardous materials, and it won't take waste that was generated outside Ada County. That matters if a job involves tires that came from somewhere else in the Treasure Valley. Every load headed up there also has to be tarped or secured, which is standard practice on any run to the landfill.

Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest one is assuming curbside pickup through the city's Curb It program will take tires. The free bulky item pickup covers things like couches, mattresses, and appliances, but tires aren't on that list, so they end up sitting at the curb with nowhere to go.

Another common mistake is tossing tires into the yard waste cart or mixing them into a general cleanout pile. They get pulled out and handled separately no matter what, so sorting them up front saves a step later. And if tires have been sitting as garden borders for years, expect some digging and cleanup before they're ready to move.

Tires are one of those jobs that look simple until you're staring at a stack with rims, dirt, and no clear place to take them. Sort what you can, know that the landfill handles the rest, and the job goes a lot smoother. Call Boise Tire Removal for a free estimate.