DeKalb County officials have announced a $250,000 initiative to clean up eight major illegal tire dump sites throughout the county. The effort, led by CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and various county departments, has already resulted in the removal of more than 37,000 dumped tires from neighborhoods, commercial areas, and private properties.
“This is not just a cleanup — this is a reclaiming of our communities,” said CEO Cochran-Johnson. “To put this into perspective: if the 37,000 tires we have removed were laid end to end, they would stretch 20 to 25 miles — the equivalent of the entire Atlanta Beltline loop or the distance from Midtown Atlanta to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. That is what our neighborhoods have been forced to live beside.”
The DeKalb County Sanitation Division and Beautification Unit are overseeing the operation, with Ricky Crockett as lead coordinator. Of nine identified dump sites, one was previously addressed by the Environmental Protection Division at 3747 Presidential Parkway. Four additional sites have now been cleaned and await final inspection and approval on December 3, 2025. Cleanup of the remaining locations—which include steep slopes and difficult terrain—is expected by late December, depending on weather conditions.
The eight targeted sites include:
– 5986 Marbut Rd., Lithonia (behind residence)
– 3041 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta (State Farm property – steep slope)
– 4221 Covington Hwy., Decatur (former tire store)
– 3590 Covington Hwy., Decatur (burned building)
– 3486 Covington Hwy., Decatur (behind rehabilitation facility)
– 6941 Brannon Hill Rd., Clarkston (neighborhood)
– 1785 Continental Way SE (commercial landscaping area)
– 1700 Corey Blvd., Decatur (church property)
County officials estimate that tens of thousands of tires have been removed so far. Some locations presented significant challenges due to wooded ravines or abandoned structures.
“We must confront a difficult truth,” said CEO Cochran-Johnson. “Much of this dumping is not accidental — it is organized environmental crime. We have documented cases where a business drives into our county at night and dumps 3,000 tires in a single incident, leaving taxpayers and communities to pick up the pieces. That is unacceptable.”
She stated that DeKalb County remains committed to long-term enforcement and prevention efforts while also seeking legislative changes at the state level for better support.
DeKalb County advocates for amendments to O.C.G.A. §12-8-40.1 that would allow counties greater flexibility in using Solid Waste Trust Fund reimbursements before projects are completed; permit reimbursement on behalf of municipalities when intergovernmental agreements exist; and increase funding for large counties dealing with widespread illegal dumping.
This initiative is considered one of DeKalb’s largest tire remediation actions so far under its Reimagine DeKalb agenda.
In related local developments affecting public resources and services such as waste management initiatives like these cleanups: Enrollment at DeKalb County schools dropped by about two percent in the last school year compared with previous figures according to data from the Georgia Department of Education. Total enrollment stood at just over ninety-eight thousand students during that period (source). White students made up fourteen percent of all students enrolled in DeKalb County schools during this time frame (source).
