Tires and propane in Montgomery County, MD — unofficial (5/year · HHW refuses cylinders)

Hours, fees, and gates change. Confirm on the official page the morning you go. This page is unofficial and not the county. Not a hauler. Holiday names and holiday clock hours: not stated. Separate tires-trailer and propane-pad clocks: not stated.

Which kind is it?

1. 1

   Resident bicycle or personal passenger-vehicle tires (or tubes), clean, ≤33" diameter, with or without rims?

   Tires trailer · Recycling Area

   Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. Follow signs to the Recycling Area; look for the trailer labeled “Tires.” Up to 5 tires per year. No charge. Driver’s license scanned for tracking. Facility clock: Mon–Sat 7 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–5 p.m. commercial entrance only. Separate tires-trailer clock: not stated.

2. 2

   Commercial-vehicle or non-residential tires?

   County cannot accept

   Tires How Do I: cannot accept tires from commercial vehicles and non-residential sources. For additional options the page points to the Maryland Department of the Environment Scrap Tire Program (licensed facilities and haulers). Link the program; do not scrape their list here.

3. 3

   Tires from a community cleanup or illegal dump site?

   MDE first · then call 311

   Contact the State of Maryland Scrap Tire Program first. If you do not qualify, call 311 (or 240-777-0311) before bringing tires. County RRM does not arrange pickup from community events or illegal dump sites.

4. 4

   Tires caked with dirt or mud?

   Clean first

   How Do I: “Tires must be clean of dirt and mud.” Clean them, then use the resident tires path (choice 1).

5. 5

   More than 5 tires this year, or over 33" diameter?

   Overflow fee: not stated

   County cap is 5/year and ≤33". A paid 6th tire or oversized overflow fee: not stated on the tires How Do I page. Do not invent one. Point to MDE Scrap Tire Program listings rather than a made-up county fee.

6. 6

   Propane, helium, SCUBA, or other tank you can still return to the vendor?

   Return to vendor first

   Propane How Do I: whenever possible, return propane, helium, SCUBA, and other tanks to the vendor or supplier for reuse. If you cannot return it, try to use up the contents so the tank is no longer under pressure — empty and remaining-gas tanks are both accepted at the Transfer Station within posted size ranges.

7. 7

   Empty or remaining-gas propane / oxygen / CO₂ / helium / acetylene cylinder?

   Upper lot · hand to attendant

   Recycling Area, Shady Grove. Hand the tank directly to an attendant on the upper lot near electronics recycling drop-off. No charge. Fees page: residents only. Propane 1–100 lb; oxygen M4–M150; CO₂ 540 g–6.8 kg; helium size: not stated; acetylene size: not stated. Count cap: not stated.

8. 8

   Thinking HHW, blue bin, scrap metal, or bulk trash for a propane tank?

   Wrong path

   HHW refuse list: compressed gas cylinders (acetylene, CO₂, oxygen, propane). Blue bin and curbside scrap metal: refused (explosion risk). Bulk trash How Do I: propane tanks refused. Scrap-metal How Do I: oxygen or propane tanks or other containers under pressure refused. Same campus as HHW — different pad (upper lot near electronics).

9. 9

   Bare metal or steel tire rim (no tire), under 60 lb?

   Scrap metal · not this trailer

   Scrap-metal How Do I curbside auto parts under 60 lb: metal or steel tire rims only. That is the Freon/scrap-metal page, not the tires trailer. Tires with or without rims stay on this page’s tires path.

Where to go

HHW is on the same campus, not a third street address. HHW How Do I refuses compressed gas cylinders. Do not treat the HHW compound as the propane pad. Last-checked 1 Sep 2026.

Poolesville Beauty Spot (19200 Jerusalem Road, Saturdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) is bulk trash up to 499 lb for residents. It is not the tires trailer and not the propane pad. Last-checked 1 Sep 2026.

Unreconciled Sunday: tires and propane How Do I put drop-off in the Recycling Area; facility/hours pages say Sunday use the Commercial and Truck entrance only (16055 Shady Grove Road, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.). This page does not pick a winner. Confirm the morning you go. Last-checked 1 Sep 2026.

Bring this

• Proof of residency (residential drop-off): Maryland license or photo ID with a Montgomery County address; a current utility bill with a physical MoCo address and your name; or a mortgage statement / lease in your name for a physical MoCo address. Out-of-county plates still need one of those. Proof of County Residency.
• Tires: clean of dirt and mud. Bicycle or personal passenger-vehicle tires/tubes only. With or without rims. Expect a driver’s license scan for tire-count tracking.
• Propane / compressed gas: hand the tank directly to an attendant on the upper lot near electronics. Prefer return-to-vendor when possible. If you cannot return it, How Do I says try to use up contents so the tank is no longer under pressure (empty and remaining-gas tanks are both accepted within posted sizes).
• Covered load if you self-haul (hours page). PPE (high-vis vest, hard hat, closed-toe shoes) is required on the main tipping floor, not described as required for the Recycling Area tires trailer or propane hand-off.

Not here

• HHW compound for propane, oxygen, CO₂, acetylene, or other compressed gas cylinders (HHW refuse list).
• Blue bin or curbside scrap metal for pressurized tanks (propane How Do I).
• Bulk trash pickup for propane tanks (bulk trash How Do I refuse list).
• Scrap-metal programs for oxygen or propane tanks or other containers under pressure (scrap-metal How Do I).
• Commercial-vehicle or non-residential tires at the Shady Grove tires trailer.
• Dirty / mud-caked tires until cleaned.
• Paid county overflow for a 6th tire or over-33" tire: not stated — do not invent a fee.
• County pickup from community cleanups or illegal dump sites (tires How Do I: RRM does not arrange that).
• Bare tire rims without tires as “tires” — those are scrap metal (under 60 lb, metal/steel rims only).
• Poolesville Beauty Spot as a tires or propane destination.
• Retail propane-exchange brand cages as a county program on this page. How Do I says return to vendor/supplier; it does not name exchange brands here. Not invented.

Official sources

• How Do I — tires
• How Do I — small tanks and cylinders of compressed gases
• How Do I — household hazardous waste (refuses compressed gas cylinders)
• How Do I — bulk trash (refuses propane tanks)
• How Do I — scrap metal items (large) (refuses pressurized tanks; bare rims under 60 lb)
• Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
• Trash and Recycling Drop-Off Hours and Events
• User Fees (tires and propane: residents only)
• Proof of County Residency
• Maryland Department of the Environment — Scrap Tire Program (link only; do not scrape facility listings)
• Poolesville Beauty Spot (bulk trash only — not tires/propane)