Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement Grant

The Local Government Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement Grant, also referred to as the STAR Grant, is administered by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division through its Recovered Materials Unit. The program is funded through the Solid Waste Trust Fund, which receives funding from a fee imposed on the sale of new tires in Georgia. EPD describes the program as part of its effort to clean up scrap tires throughout Georgia and to assist local governments with the safe removal and recycling of those tires. Since the grant began, 1,911,923 passenger tire equivalents have been removed and recycled statewide, and local governments have received $5.6 million in reimbursements for eligible tire removal, transportation, and processing costs. The STAR Grant reimburses eligible local governments for costs associated with removing, transporting, and processing scrap tires. Covered activities include cleaning up scrap tires from scrap tire dumps, removing tires from city and county right-of-ways, and collecting tires through scrap tire collection events. Eligible applicants include cities, counties, and solid waste management authorities. An eligible local government applicant may receive up to $75,000 per state fiscal year. The source does not identify a minimum reimbursement amount, a current total amount available for the program, a predetermined number of awards, or a matching or cost-share requirement. All tires collected through a STAR-funded project must be taken to an EPD permitted or approved beneficial reuse scrap tire processor for recycling before the associated costs can be reimbursed. Local governments may have tires removed by the selected beneficial reuse processor or by a permitted tire carrier. If another permitted tire carrier transports the tires, the tires must ultimately be delivered to a beneficial reuse processor. The local government is responsible for maintaining manifests demonstrating that tires generated through its cleanup activities were recycled by an approved beneficial reuse processor. Scrap tire sorters and out-of-state landfills are specifically identified as locations that are not approved for STAR Grant recycling. Projects will not be reimbursed when manifests show that grant-funded scrap tires were taken to a scrap tire sorter, an out-of-state landfill, or another facility that is not an EPD permitted or approved beneficial reuse scrap tire processor. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and awards are made first-come, first-served, contingent upon funding availability and demand. Applications and reporting are submitted through the STAR Grant Portal. Applicants can consult the SWTF Grant Program Profile Set-up Guide for information about establishing the profile needed to access the portal and the STAR Grant Portal Guide for instructions on using the portal. EPD also directs prospective applicants to the General STAR Guidelines, STAR Guidance for Applications, and STAR Guidance for Reports. Additional project-specific materials are available for scrap tire collection or amnesty events, right-of-way projects, and local government-led tire dump abatement projects. A STAR Application Signature Page is also provided among the program resources. EPD requires a minimum of 90 days to process STAR Grant applications. Scrap tire collection events therefore must be scheduled at least 90 days after EPD receives the application. An application that does not meet this requirement may be rejected, and the applicant may be asked to reschedule the proposed project. If the estimates contained in an original STAR application and project agreement prove inaccurate, such as when more tires are collected than originally estimated, the local government should notify EPD as soon as possible and submit an amendment application. Amendment guidelines and an amendment application are provided for collection events and right-of-way projects. The source does not establish a fixed application closing date because applications are accepted on a rolling basis. It also does not provide a fixed application opening date, award notification date, number of awards, formal evaluation scoring criteria, or performance-period dates. The first-come, first-served award approach remains contingent on available funding and demand. Questions about the STAR Grant, tire cleanups, applications, and the portal may be directed to the SWTF Grant Team at epd.star@dnr.ga.gov. Suspected tire dumps and other scrap or used tire complaints should instead be reported to the EPD compliance specialist responsible for the applicable county.

Submit sufficiently in advance because EPD requires a minimum of 90 days to process applications and scrap tire collection events must be scheduled at least 90 days after EPD receives the application. Use an EPD permitted or approved beneficial reuse scrap tire processor and maintain manifests proving compliant recycling because projects using unapproved destinations will not be reimbursed. Notify EPD as soon as possible and submit an amendment application if actual tire collections exceed project estimates.