Hillsborough Offers Free Annual Tire Disposal to Cut Mosquito Breeding

Hillsborough County is urging residents and businesses to remove unused tires from outdoor areas because the hollow rubber rings can hold rainwater and become productive mosquito-breeding containers. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the species most closely associated with local dengue transmission, commonly lay eggs in small water-holding objects near homes and workplaces. For households covered by the County solid-waste assessment, disposal of up to 12 tires per household each year is included at no additional charge. Residents may take tires to five County facilities: Alderman’s Ford Solid Waste Facility in Plant City, Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility in Seffner, Northwest County Solid Waste Facility on West Linebaugh Avenue in Tampa, South County Solid Waste Facility in Gibsonton, and Wimauma Solid Waste Facility on West Lake Drive. Visitors should bring a state-issued ID showing a Hillsborough County residential address and a printed or digital current property-tax bill showing the solid-waste assessment. Tires beyond the annual 12-tire allowance may be taken to the Southeast County Landfill, where standard disposal fees apply.

The County’s guidance also clarifies that residents inside Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace use different municipal disposal options. City of Tampa residents may dispose of up to four tires through the S.W.E.E.P. program, request a special pickup priced at $18.12 per cubic yard, or use the McKay Bay Scale House for a fee if they have an active solid-waste account. Plant City offers a courtesy pickup for up to four tires per calendar year, while Temple Terrace residents can use designated Hillsborough County facilities because tires are not included in that city’s free annual bulk pickup. Commercial tire stores and other businesses cannot use the residential Community Collection Centers and must arrange appropriate commercial disposal. For homeowners and landscape crews, the practical lesson extends beyond tires: inspect yards after rain or irrigation and dump, drain, cover, or discard anything that holds water. Removing an abandoned tire helps keep a property cleaner while eliminating a container that can support mosquito development close to people.