This nuisance dumping can be found in big cities, small towns and the countryside. Tires aren't the only scrap material that gets illegally dumped, but they seem to be the poster child for bad littering behavior. Unlicensed tire jockeys figure they can get away with illegal dumping because no one is enforcing the law. In many cases, it is the tire consumer illegally dumping tires. Around 15 percent of scrap tires are taken back by, or returned to customers.
Many disease carrying pests flourish in tire piles.
Chief culprit are many kinds of mosquitoes that prefer to breed in the quiet, stagnant water that collects inside tires. In addition to being the normal pests that all mosquitoes are, several of these varieties can carry deadly diseases, including encephalitis and dengue fever. Control and eradication programs, short of removing the pile, are difficult. Fire presents a second threat. Scrap tire fires are difficult to extinguish, and can burn for considerable periods, releasing heavy black smoke and possibly contaminating the soil with an oily residue.