South Carolina Code 44-96-170. Waste tires
(B) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly a report on waste tire management and disposal in this State. The report shall, at a minimum, include the following:
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-96-170
- Collection: means the act of picking up solid waste materials from homes, businesses, governmental agencies, institutions, or industrial sites. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Department: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Disposal: means the discharge, deposition, injection, dumping, spilling or placing of any solid waste into or on any land or water, so that the substance or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwater. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Facility: means all contiguous land, structures, other appurtenances and improvements on the land used for treating, storing, or disposing of solid waste. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Landfill: means a disposal facility or part of a facility where solid waste is placed in or on land, and which is not a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, or an injection well. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Office: means the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling established within the Department of Health and Environmental Control pursuant to § 44-96-110. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Person: means an individual, corporation, company, association, partnership, unit of local government, state agency, federal agency, or other legal entity. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Recycling: means any process by which materials which would otherwise become solid waste are collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products (including composting). See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Region: means a group of counties in South Carolina which is planning to or has prepared, approved, and submitted a regional solid waste management plan to the department pursuant to § 44-96-80. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Solid waste: means any garbage, refuse, or sludge from a waste treatment facility, water supply plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations and from community activities. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Solid waste disposal facility: means any solid waste management facility or part of a facility at which solid waste is intentionally placed into or on any land or water and at which waste will remain after closure. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Solid waste management: means the systematic control of the generation, collection, source separation, storage, transportation, treatment, recovery, and disposal of solid waste. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Storage: means the containment of solid waste, either on a temporary basis or for a period of years, in such manner as not to constitute disposal of such solid waste; provided, however, that storage in containers by persons of solid waste resulting from their own activities on their property, leased or rented property, if the solid waste in such containers is collected at least once a week, shall not constitute "storage" for purposes of this chapter. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Tire: means the continuous solid or pneumatic rubber covering encircling the wheel of a motor vehicle, trailer, or motorcycle as defined in § 56-3-20(2), (4), and (13). See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Tire retailing business: means the retail sale of tires in any quantity for any use or purpose by the purchaser other than for resale. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Treatment: means any technique designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any solid waste so as to render it safe for transport, amenable to storage, recovery, or recycling, safe for disposal, or reduced in volume or concentration. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Waste tire: means a tire that is no longer suitable for its original intended purpose because of wear, damage, or defect. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Waste tire processing facility: means a permitted facility where equipment is used to cut, shred, burn for volume reduction, or to otherwise alter whole waste tires. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Waste tire recycling facility: means a permitted facility where waste tires are used as a fuel source or returned to use in the form of products or raw materials. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
- Waste tire site: means an establishment, site, or place of business, without a collector or processor permit, that is maintained, operated, used, or allowed to be used for the disposal, storing, or depositing of unprocessed used tires, but does not include a truck service facility which meets the following requirements:
(a) all vehicles serviced are owned or leased by the owner or operator of the service facility;
(b) no more than two hundred waste tires are accumulated for a period of not more than thirty days at a time;
(c) the facility does not accept any tires from sources other than its own; and
(d) all waste tires are stored under a covered structure. See South Carolina Code 44-96-40
(1) the number of waste tires generated in this State and the geographical distribution of the waste tires;
(2) the number and location of existing waste tire sites;
(3) the location of existing waste tire collection sites;
(4) the necessary financial responsibility requirements for sites, haulers, processors, collectors, and disposers of waste tires;
(5) alternative methods of collecting waste tires;
(6) current and future options for waste tire recycling;
(7) methods to establish reliable sources of waste tires for waste tire users; and
(8) types and location of facilities in this State that can utilize waste tires as a fuel source.
(C) State and county solid waste management plans shall include a section on waste tires. The section on waste tires shall provide for public participation in its preparation and shall, as a minimum, include:
(1) an estimate of the number of waste tires currently generated annually within that county or region and a projection of the number of waste tires to be generated during the twenty-year period following the date this chapter is effective;
(2) an estimate of the current capacity in the county to manage waste tire disposal;
(3) an estimate of the annual cost of implementing the approved waste tire disposal plan;
(4) an estimate of the cost of siting, construction, and bringing into operation any new facilities needed to provide waste tire disposal;
(5) the number of waste tires generated in each county and the geographical distribution of such waste tires;
(6) the number and location of existing waste tire sites;
(7) the location of existing waste tire collection sites;
(8) alternative methods of collecting waste tires;
(9) current and future options for waste tire recycling;
(10) methods to establish reliable sources of waste tires for waste tire users; and
(11) types and location of facilities in this county that can utilize waste tires as a fuel source.
(D) Each county is required by the department to participate in ongoing waste tire clean-up enforcement efforts, and no later than twelve months after promulgation of regulations by the department, establish approved waste tire accumulation sites, designate waste tire processing, recycling, and disposal methods to be used, and begin disposal operations in compliance with the applicable regulations. Counties may contract with other counties and with private firms to implement the provisions of this chapter. The department shall administer waste tire management plans for those counties which do not submit proposals.
(E) Counties are prohibited from imposing an additional fee on waste tires generated within the county. However, a county may impose an additional fee on waste tires, heavy equipment tires, and oversized tires that have a greater diameter than the largest tire with a Department of Transportation number. A fee may be charged on waste tires generated outside of South Carolina. Counties may require fleets to provide documentation for proof of purchase on in-state tires. For tires not included in documentation, an additional tipping fee may be charged. Counties may charge a tipping fee of up to one dollar and fifty cents for each tire or up to one hundred fifty dollars a ton for waste tires generated in this State for which no fee has been paid otherwise.
(F) Counties may charge a tipping fee of up to one dollar and fifty cents for each waste tire manufactured in this State or up to one hundred fifty dollars per ton for waste tires manufactured in this State for which no fee has been paid otherwise.
(G) Not later than six months after the department promulgates regulations, a person, except as provided, shall not knowingly deposit whole waste tires in a landfill as a method of ultimate disposal.
(H) Eighteen months after this chapter is effective, a person shall not:
(1) maintain a waste tire collection site unless such site is an integral part of the person’s permitted waste tire treatment facility or that person has entered into a contract with a permitted waste tire treatment facility for the disposal of waste tires;
(2) knowingly dispose of waste tires in this State, unless the waste tires are disposed of at a permitted solid waste disposal facility; or
(3) knowingly dispose of or discard waste tires on the property of another in a manner not prescribed by this chapter.
For an interim period to be determined by the department, waste tires may be disposed of at a solid waste disposal facility, a waste tire recycling or processing facility, or a waste tire collection center seeking a permit from the department pursuant to this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person violating this subsection shall be subject to a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars. This provision may be enforced by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement official, or by the department. Each tire improperly disposed of must constitute a separate violation.
(I) It is the policy of this State to recommend that waste tires be managed at a:
(a) waste tire collection site which is an integral part of a permitted waste tire recycling or processing facility;
(b) permitted waste tire recycling or processing facility; or
(c) permitted waste tire collection center.
(J)(1) Not later than twelve months after this chapter is effective, the department shall promulgate regulations requiring all collectors, processors, recyclers, haulers, and disposers of waste tires to obtain a permit or registration issued by the department.
(2) The regulations promulgated pursuant to this subsection must set forth the requirements for the issuance, denial, suspension, and revocation of such permits or registrations.
(3) After the effective date of the regulations promulgated pursuant to this subsection, a person shall not collect, haul, recycle, or process waste tires unless that person has obtained a permit or registration from the department for that activity or, for an interim period to be determined by the department, is seeking a permit or registration from the department for that activity.
(4) To carry out the purposes and provisions of this section, the department is authorized to:
(a) promulgate such regulations, procedures, or standards as are necessary to protect human health and safety of the environment from the adverse effects of improper, inadequate, or unsound management of waste tires;
(b) issue, deny, suspend, revoke, or modify permits, registrations, or orders under such conditions as the department may prescribe, pursuant to procedures consistent with the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act, for the management of waste tires; and
(c) conduct inspections and investigations, obtain records of waste tire processing, storage, or hauling activities, obtain samples, and conduct research regarding the operation and maintenance of any waste tire management facility.
(5)(a) The department shall suspend a waste tire processing facility from accepting waste tires when the department determines that the permitted capacity at the facility is exceeded, and after the facility has been provided an opportunity to return to compliance.
(b) Once the department determines that the permitted capacity at the facility is exceeded, the department shall provide a written warning notice to the facility that the permitted capacity has been exceeded and provide seven calendar days to reduce the number of tires at the facility to the permitted limit.
(c) If after seven calendar days the facility has not reduced the number of tires at the facility to the permitted limit, the department will provide written notice to the facility requiring it to cease accepting tires and to reduce the quantity of waste tires and processed tires on-site to no more than eighty percent of the permitted capacity within twenty-one calendar days of receipt of the notice.
(d) If after the twenty-one-day period the facility fails to comply with the requirements of the written notice as verified by the department, the department shall suspend the facility’s permit via written notice to the facility and shall remove the permitted facility from the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List pursuant to subsection (O).
(e) The suspension shall remain in effect until the facility has reduced the quantity of waste tires and processed tires on-site to no more than eighty percent of its permitted capacity, as determined by the facility, and verified by the department.
(f) The department shall lift the permit suspension and return the facility to the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List pursuant to the following:
(i) upon verification by the department that the facility has reduced the total quantity of waste tires and processed tires on-site to no more than eighty percent of its permitted capacity; and
(ii) if, upon referenced verification, the facility does not have any additional citations for material violations that remain unresolved.
(g) The permitted facility shall not receive additional waste tires at the facility until the facility has received written notification from the department that the permit suspension has been lifted. However, during the permit suspension, the permitted facility may continue to process tires and sell product.
(h) Each waste tire accepted by the facility during a suspension period shall be deemed a separate violation and may be deemed a wilful violation subject to the provisions of § 44-96-100(B).
(K) Subsection (J) does not apply to items (1) through (5) if these designated waste tire sites are maintained so as to prevent and control mosquitoes or other public health nuisances as determined by the department:
(1) a tire retailing business where less than one thousand waste tires are kept on the business premises;
(2) a tire retreading business where less than two thousand five hundred waste tires are kept on the business premises or a tire retreading facility that is owned or operated by a company that manufactures tires in this State or the tire manufacturer’s parent company or its subsidiaries;
(3) a business that, in the ordinary course of business, removes tires from motor vehicles if less than one thousand of these tires are kept on the business premises;
(4) a permitted solid waste facility with less than two thousand five hundred waste tires temporarily stored on the business premises; or
(5) a person using waste tires for agricultural purposes.
(L) The department shall encourage the voluntary establishment of waste tire collection centers, waste tire treatment facilities, and solid waste disposal facilities to be open to the public for the deposit of waste tires.
(M) The department is authorized to establish incentive programs to encourage individuals to return their used tires to waste tire recycling or processing facilities.
(N) For sales made on or after November 1, 1991, there is imposed a fee of two dollars for each new tire sold with a Department of Transportation number to the ultimate consumer, whether or not the tire is mounted by the seller. The wholesaler or retailer receiving new tires from unlicensed wholesalers is responsible for paying the fee imposed by this subsection.
The Department of Revenue shall administer, collect, and enforce the tire recycling fee in the same manner that the sales and use taxes are collected pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 12. The fee imposed by this subsection must be remitted on a monthly basis. Instead of the discount allowed pursuant to § 12-36-2610, the taxpayer may retain three percent of the total fees collected as an administrative collection allowance. This allowance applies whether or not the return is timely filed.
The department shall deposit all fees collected to the credit of the State Treasurer who shall establish a separate and distinct account from the state general fund.
The State Treasurer shall distribute one and one-half dollars for each tire sold, less applicable credit, refund, and discount, to each county based upon the population in each county according to the most recent United States Census. The county shall use these funds for collection, processing, or recycling of waste tires generated within the State.
The remaining portion of the tire recycling fee is to be credited to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund by the State Treasurer for the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund, established under the administration of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The General Assembly shall review the waste tire disposal recycling fee every five years.
(O)(1) A wholesaler or retailer required to submit a fee pursuant to subsection (N) who delivers or arranges delivery of waste tires to a facility listed on the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List, may apply for a refund of one dollar for each tire delivered. If waste tires generated in this State, on which a fee has been paid, are delivered to a waste tire facility located outside this State, a wholesaler or retailer may apply for a refund of one dollar per tire delivered if the receiving facility is listed on the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List; in no case may a refund be approved for a number of tires delivered in excess of the number of new tires sold by the individual wholesaler or retailer. Verification must be provided as required by the South Carolina State Department of Revenue. All refunds made pursuant to this subsection must be charged against the appropriate county’s distributions under subsection (N).
(2) The department shall maintain the list of facilities known as the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List.
(3) The Waste Tire Rebate Facility List shall include department-permitted waste tire processing facilities that fulfill the requirements of a waste tire recycling facility, as defined in § 44-96-40(68)(d), and facilities located outside of South Carolina that are permitted or approved by the host state and that also fulfill the requirements of a waste tire recycling facility, as defined in § 44-96-40(68)(d).
(4) The department shall remove from the Waste Tire Rebate Facility List any facility whose permit has been revoked or suspended, until the permit has been reinstated by the department or host state.
(P) The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling of the Department of Health and Environmental Control may provide grants from the Waste Tire Trust Fund to counties which have exhausted all funds remitted to counties under § 44-96-170(N), to regions applying on behalf of those counties and to local governments within those counties to assist in the following:
(1) constructing, operating, or contracting with waste tire processing or recycling facilities;
(2) removing or contracting for the removal of waste tires for processing or recycling;
(3) performing or contracting for the performance of research designed to facilitate waste tire recycling; or
(4) the purchase or use of recycled products or materials made from waste tires generated in this State.
(Q) Waste tire grants must be awarded on the basis of written grant request proposals submitted to and approved, not less than annually, by the committee consisting of ten members appointed by the commissioner representing:
(1) the South Carolina Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association;
(2) the South Carolina Association of Counties;
(3) the South Carolina Association of Regional Councils;
(4) the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(5) tire manufacturers;
(6) the general public;
(7) a public interest environmental organization;
(8) the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources;
(9) the Office of the Governor; and
(10) the South Carolina Municipal Association.
Members of the committee shall serve for terms of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualify.
Vacancies must be filled in the manner of original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term. The representative of the department shall serve as chairman. The committee shall review grant requests and proposals and make recommendations on grant awards to the State Solid Waste Advisory Council. Grants must be awarded by the State Solid Waste Advisory Council.
(R) Notwithstanding subsection (N), the department may use funds from the Waste Tire Trust Fund to fund activities of the department to implement provisions of this section to promote the recycling of waste tires and to encourage higher end uses of waste tires. The use of these funds must be reviewed annually by the Waste Tire Committee and the Solid Waste Advisory Council. The Recycling Market Development Advisory Council and the Solid Waste Advisory Council also may make recommendations to the office for use of these funds.
(S) The department shall establish by regulation recordkeeping and reporting requirements for waste tire haulers and collection, processing, recycling, and disposal facilities.
(T) A county failing to comply with the requirements of this section and regulations promulgated under it is not eligible for monies from the Waste Tire Trust Fund.