A $1 fee on the retail sale of tires took effect July 1 to raise money to clean up illegal tire dumps and prevent future accumulation of unauthorized waste tire piles.

The fee applies to new and replacement tires for on or off-road motorized vehicles including farming equipment and attachments to such vehicles, including trailers.

It does not apply to human-powered devices such as bicycles, wheelbarrows, and hand trucks. Nor does it apply to the sale of re-treated tires provided free of charge under the terms of a recall or a warranty service.

The fee is expected to raise about $4.4 million per year before expiring in 2010. A similar $1 fee was imposed beginning in 1989 before expiring in 1995.

The legislation that created the fee also directs the Washington State Department of Ecology to develop a study that identifies illegal dumps in Washington and a cleanup plan for them.

The new law also toughens the licensing requirements for the transport or storage of waste tires, and makes businesses liable for the cost of cleaning up illegally dumped tires.

For more information on the new fee, call (800) 647-7706.