Tire Environmental Act Program (TEAP)

The purpose of the Tire Environmental Act Program is to select and fund projects that best result in one of the beneficial end uses for waste tires identified below. The Tire Environmental Act Program provides financial assistance (through reimbursement during a contract term) to organizations in Tennessee to purchase, install, and construct projects that fit into one of the following eligible project categories: 

1. Tire Recycling: Entities that receive Tennessee tires and process them into a useable end product.

2. Tire Derived Product Use: Entities that use Tennessee waste tires in a manner that is considered a beneficial use.

3. Research, Testing, and Development: Entities that conduct research, testing, or development of beneficial uses for Tennessee waste tires.

TEAP is a reimbursement grant, meaning a potential applicant will need to have access to start-up capital. The minimum grant request is $10,000 and the maximum grant request is $1,000,000.  The applicant must, at a minimum, match the grant amount requested. The applicant must specify the match percentage as one of the following:

• 80% Grant / 20% Match (specific to LEAs, higher education institutions, local government, or nonprofits); or
• 50% Grant / 50% Match; or
• Greater than 50% Match (amount specified)

ITEMS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MATCHING FUNDS:

• Real property
• Furniture, furnishings, and fixtures
• Salaries or wages of employees of for-profit entities
• Fees associated with permits and associated financial assurance
• Professional fees, including architectural and engineering services, and administration costs
• Other items not directly related to the diversion and beneficial reuse of Tennessee tires
• Expenses outside of the TEAP contract term

Tire Environmental Act Program Application - The Tire Environmental Act Program utilizes TDEC’s Grant Management System. Potential applicants can register and apply completely online. Click HERE to learn more about GMS. Potential applicants need to register with GMS to apply for the grant.

Tire Environmental Act Program Manual

The purpose of TEAP is to develop and implement programs to enhance collection, transportation, and processing related to Tennessee markets for waste tires and to provide grants to encourage research, technologies, and processes to enhance the use of tires as alternative fuels or in innovative infrastructure developments. Applicants must demonstrate how their project will improve or enhance beneficial end uses for scrap tires. TEAP provides financial assistance to eligible entities in Tennessee that fit into one, or more than one, of the following eligible project categories: 

1. Tire Recycling: Entities that collect, transport, receive, and process waste tires into a material for beneficial end use, as defined in the footnote below. Some example projects include tire shredding, tire granulation, pyrolysis, and cryogenic processing. Proposals should identify viable end market(s) and associated partners.
2. Tire-derived Material Use: Entities that enhance beneficial end uses of processed waste tires. Some potential example projects include construction of permeable surfaces that have environmental and engineering advantages, molded or extruded rubber products, and use of tire-derived aggregate in construction erosion control, filtration, or the construction of infrastructure using tire-derived materials.
3. Research and Development: Entities that conduct research, testing, or development of beneficial uses or products derived from waste tires. Research and development must focus on waste tire management, the use of tires as alternative fuels, or the use of tires in innovative infrastructure developments. Proposals should identify viable end market(s) and associated partners. Some potential example projects include rubberized asphalt research or research of alternative processing technology.

2023 Timeline

Mid-January: Grant open period begins/Announce solicitation

Mid-April: Proposal submission deadline; begin review and processing of applications; determination of scope of services/work for grant awards

June: Prepare grant offer to successful applicants

July: Deadline to receive signed grant contracts for processing

August: Target execution date for grants

Fees are generated from the purchase of new motor vehicles to be titled and registered in the state: 

Five Dollars ($5.00) for a motor vehicle with four (4) or fewer wheels,

Ten Dollars ($10.00) for a motor vehicle with more than four (4) but fewer than eleven (11) wheels, and 

Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) for a motor vehicle with eleven (11) or more wheels.