Tires pile up quietly: a spare from a car you sold, a set the shop left in your garage, four from the side yard of a rental. They're not hazardous, but California still won't let them go in a trash can, and the cheapest way out depends on which city you live in. Here's what the City of LA, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena each allow, what to do with the rims, and what changes when you have a lot of them.
The rules in one minute
- No tires in the trash. CalRecycle says tires aren't hazardous but are banned from the trash to prevent mosquito breeding and tire fires.[1]
- Not in your blue or black bin either. LA Sanitation lists tires as oversized items for bulky collection rather than the recycling bin,[2] and keeps them out of the trash bin too.[3]
- Dumping tires costs double. A first illegal dumping conviction brings a mandatory fine of $250 to $1,000, and the fine doubles when the waste was used tires.[4]
You also paid for part of this already. California collects a $1.75 fee on every new tire sold.[5]
Free and low-cost options by city
| Where you live | Curbside | Drop-off |
|---|---|---|
| City of Los Angeles | Bulky item collection[2] | 4 tires per year, no rims, at LASAN yards[6] |
| Burbank | Up to 4 tires, per-item fee[7] | Not on the Drop Zone's accepted list[8] |
| Glendale | Only if tires are on the City's bulky list[9] | Not at the HHW facility or Recycling Center[10],[11] |
| Pasadena | Up to 2 tires without rims[12] | None listed by the City |
City of Los Angeles: four a year at the yards
If you live in the City of LA, you can drop off up to four tires per calendar year at any LASAN collection yard at no charge.[6] The details matter:
- No rims. The yards don't accept them.[6]
- Bring a state photo ID and a current utility bill to show you're a City resident.[6]
- Go on a weekday morning. The yards take tires Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.[6]
- Valley locations: East Valley yard, 11050 Pendleton St., Sun Valley, and West Valley yard, 8840 Vanalden Ave., Northridge 91324.[6]
Most Valley neighborhoods, including North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks and Sylmar, are inside the City of LA and qualify.[13] Universal City is on the County's unincorporated list, so don't assume City programs apply there.[14]
Tires can also go out through LASAN's free bulky item collection, which LASAN itself suggests for tires and mattresses.[2] Book at least one business day before your trash day,[15] and list the tires on your request, since crews only pick up what's on their work order.[16]
Burbank: curbside, with a fee
Burbank picks up tires with its bulky service, up to four, but charges a $12.14 Special Handling Fee per item as of July 1, 2025.[7] The fee goes on your Burbank Water and Power account, and only the account holder can schedule these items.[7] Book on Our Burbank 311 at least two business days ahead with a photo,[7] or call (818) 238-3800 at least one business day ahead.[7] The Recycle Center's Drop Zone list covers electronics, batteries, bulbs and antifreeze, not tires.[8]
Glendale: check the list first
Glendale's two drop-off sites both say no. The Fire Department's hazardous waste facility on Flower Street doesn't take tires,[10] and neither does the Recycling Center on Chevy Chase Dr.[11] The City's bulky pickup only takes what's printed on its item list; anything missing from the list isn't collected.[9] Call Integrated Waste Management at (818) 548-3916 to ask before you set tires out.[17]
Pasadena: two tires, no rims
Pasadena excludes auto parts from bulky pickup, except for up to two tires without the rim.[12] The pickup is only for City refuse customers,[12] who get two free bulky pickups a year, booked at least two weeks before trash day at 626-744-7311 or CityOfPasadena.net/CSC.[18] Don't roll them to the parkway early: items left out without a booked pickup can bring a citation.[18]
Some unincorporated neighbors near Sylmar
LA County offers free disposal at Sunshine Canyon for residents of certain nearby unincorporated communities, including Sunland, Kagel Canyon, Lopez Canyon and West Chatsworth, with proof of residence.[19] Each residence can drop off up to four tires a year there under that program.[19]
Where tires can't go
- Sunshine Canyon Landfill, as a regular customer. Its FAQ lists whole tires among the prohibited materials, with hazardous waste and car batteries.[20]
- County household hazardous waste events. They turn away trash and tires.[21]
- Glendale's HHW facility and Recycling Center, as above.[10],[11]
- The curb, the alley or a vacant lot. Beyond the doubled fines, LA's illegal dumping cleanup is a real cost to the City: a 2021 City Controller audit found LASAN picked up nearly 16,000 tons of dumped waste in 2019.[22]
What to do with the rims
Since LASAN yards and Pasadena's pickup both want tires off the rim, the wheels become a separate item. Get them dismounted before your drop-off, then treat the steel or aluminum wheel as scrap metal.
SA Recycling runs two scrap yards in Sun Valley. The Tujunga Ave. yard lists aluminum wheels among the material it buys,[23] and it's open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon at 8250 Tujunga Ave.[23] Anyone selling scrap there has to show a valid government-issued photo ID.[23]
When you have more than a few
A landlord clearing a rental or someone emptying a relative's garage can end up with a dozen tires or more. At that point:
- Find a recycler. CalRecycle has a tire recycler search and a Tire Management hotline at (866) 896-0600.[24]
- Split the load. A City of LA household can bring four a year to a LASAN yard,[6] and the rest may need a recycler.
- The Antelope Valley option. WM's Palmdale Landfill accepts tires,[25] though it's a long drive from the Valley.
Prep checklist
Before the tires leave
- Have tires dismounted from the rims if you're using a LASAN yard or Pasadena pickup.
- Drain standing water; tires hold it, and that's where mosquitoes breed.
- City of LA: pack your photo ID and a current utility bill for the yard.
- Burbank: make sure the BWP account holder books the pickup.
- Pasadena: book two weeks ahead and set out no more than two tires.
- Keep rims separate for scrap, and bring ID to sell them.
When to call a hauler
For one to four tires in the City of LA, the free yard trip is hard to beat if you can get there on a weekday morning. A hauler makes more sense when tires are mixed in with a larger cleanout, when you have more than your city's allowance, or when you'd rather not load dirty, heavy tires into your own car.
Tires are one of the items to check on before booking any junk removal service, because disposal sites treat them differently from household junk. We're a family-run junk removal crew out of North Hollywood, and tires are one of the things we don't take. We don't take paint, chemicals (like motor oil and solvents), tires, asbestos, medical waste, ammunition or propane tanks, empty or full. We'll point you to the right drop-off. If tires are mixed into a bigger cleanout, set them aside for the city yard or a tire shop and we'll clear the rest.