A Tulsa man is accused of illegally dumping more than 7,000 old tires.
Erin Hatfield with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said it was expensive to clean up after him.
"It cost the state about $17,000 to clean up these tires. It's about $2.50 apiece, somewhere in that range," Hatfield said.
Mark Andrews was arrested this week and is charged with eight counts of illegal tire dumping, which is a misdemeanor. Hatfield said all those old tires were a hazard.
"If these tires were to catch on fire, they can burn and it's very, very difficult to put a tire fire out," Hatfield said. "Also, they are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, rats, skunks, snakes — things like that can cause human disease."
DEQ investigators began looking into complaints about Andrews in June. They found tires at a rental home he was evicted from, four storage units, a tire shop and two more houses.
Andrews is being held on $8,000 bond for eight counts of unlawful disposal of used tires.
