Scrap tires are almost always priced per tire, not as one flat fee, because they can’t go in regular trash and need special processing. A junk removal crew can pick them up and haul them away, but the total depends entirely on how many tires you have. A quote we recently gave for 140 tires — at roughly $12 to $15 each — landed at well over a thousand dollars, which is exactly why the caller said “holy crap, that’s a lot.”
Most trash haulers and landfills won’t accept tires mixed in with regular garbage. Tires trap gases and don’t compact like other waste, so they take up disproportionate space in a landfill. That’s the core reason tire disposal isn’t free — it requires a separate process, often shredding or recycling into rubber mulch, fuel, or new products. [verify specific Pennsylvania/Philadelphia tire disposal regulations]. If you’re clearing out a property and wondering what else can and can’t go curbside, our guide to Philadelphia bulk trash rules covers what the city will and won’t pick up.
Haulers typically charge per tire because each tire carries its own processing and recycling cost — it’s not like loading loose junk into a truck bed. In a recent call, our team quoted a range of about $12 to $15 per tire, with the note that the exact number needed to be confirmed before booking. That’s standard practice: the rate can shift slightly based on tire type and how the load is structured, so nothing gets locked in until it’s checked.
Not all tires cost the same to process. A few factors typically move the per-tire price:
If your tires are part of a bigger cleanout — old tires stacked in a garage along with other stuff — it usually makes sense to handle it all at once. See garage basement cleanouts Northeast Philadelphia for how that combined approach works.
Per-tire pricing looks small until you multiply it out. Here’s what that $12–$15 range actually means at different volumes:
| Number of Tires | Estimated Total (at $12–$15/tire) | What It Physically Looks Like |
|---|---|---|
| 4 tires | $48 – $60 | Fits in a car trunk or small trailer |
| 20 tires | $240 – $300 | A pickup truck load |
| 50 tires | $600 – $750 | Multiple truck loads |
| 140 tires | $1,680 – $2,100 | Roughly a full tractor trailer |
That last row is real: on the same call, our rep estimated that 140 tires would probably fill a tractor trailer. At that scale, it’s not a quick pickup — it’s a hauling-scale project, which is exactly why the rep needed to research the number and call the customer back rather than quote it on the spot.
Calling a junk hauler makes the most sense when you have more tires than you can transport yourself, tires mixed into a larger property cleanout, or simply no time to make multiple trips to a drop-off site. Tire pickup is one part of what a full-service crew handles — alongside furniture, appliances, and general debris. You can see the full range on our our junk removal services page, and if you’re running a shop or job site with a large volume of scrap tires, our construction debris removal Northeast Philadelphia page covers similar bulk-hauling situations.
If you only have a few tires, hauling them yourself is often cheaper. A few common options:
For a small stack, a drop-off is usually the cheaper route. For something closer to 140 tires — or any load you can’t move on your own — a hauler ends up being the more practical option, even with the per-tire cost.
Getting an accurate number is straightforward, but it does take a couple of steps for larger loads:
That last step matters. No hauler should give you a final number without knowing the count and type first, and no reputable crew shows up and changes the price at the curb. If you want to compare that model against general junk pricing, see our junk removal pricing, and for a sense of average costs across categories, our post on junk removal cost Philadelphia breaks it down further.
Have old tires taking up space — a few or a full trailer’s worth? Call Northeast Philly Elite Junk Removal at (215) 608-6297 for a free, no-obligation quote, or get a free quote online and we’ll confirm the per-tire rate before anything is scheduled.
Tires are usually priced per tire. In a recent quote conversation, the range was about $12 to $15 per tire, with the exact rate confirmed before booking. Your total depends on how many tires you have and what type they are.
Yes. Many junk removal haulers, including ours, pick up and haul tires — either as a standalone job or as part of a larger cleanout.
It depends on the vehicle, but as a reference point, a batch of around 140 tires is large enough to fill a tractor trailer. Smaller batches fit in a pickup truck or standard hauling truck. [verify exact capacity figures]
For a small number of tires, a retailer take-back program or a municipal drop-off event can be cheaper than hiring a hauler. For large volumes, or if you have no way to transport the tires, hiring a hauler is usually more practical despite the per-tire cost.
Tires can’t be landfilled like regular trash in most areas. They require separate collection and processing, which carries a cost that gets passed on per tire.
Rims can affect the price since removing a tire from a rim is an extra step. Confirm this detail when you get your quote. [verify]
Whatever the size of your tire pile, the math is the same: per-tire pricing multiplied by count, confirmed before anything gets loaded. If you’re already dealing with a cleanout that includes tires, furniture, or appliances, start with junk removal in Northeast Philadelphia to see how the whole job — not just the tires — gets handled in one visit. You can also meet owner Mike Sullivan to see who’s actually answering the phone when you call (215) 608-6297.
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About the Author
Founder & Owner-Operator
Mike Sullivan is the founder and owner-operator of Northeast Philly Elite Junk Removal. Born and raised in the Northeast, Mike brings 20 years of junk-removal and hauling experience to every job. He started his own crew after years on the trucks, and he still runs every quote himself and rides along on cleanouts across Mayfair, Bustleton, Somerton, Torresdale, Holmesburg, Fox Chase, and Rhawnhurst. His approach is simple and no-BS: give you the full price up front, show up in a real arrival window, and haul it all away — donating and recycling whatever can be saved before anything goes to the landfill. When you call, you get Mike, not a national call center.
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