Abstract: In order to understand the seismic performances of waste tire-faced retaining walls and promote their popularization and application in high-intensity earthquake areas, a comparative experimental study on the seismic performance of vertical waste tire faced retaining walls (without/with reinforcement) is carried out. Based on the same test conditions, two shaking table test models for the vertical waste tire-faced retaining wall and the geogrid-reinforced waste tire-faced retaining wall are established respectively. Considering the effects of near-field Shifang seismic wave and far-field Songpan seismic wave, the wall accelerations, lateral displacements, residual deformations, vertical settlements and dynamic earth pressures acting on the back of the walls are studied under different seismic intensities. The response characteristics of two waste tire-faced retaining walls are compared with those of a traditional cantilever rigid retaining wall, and the overall seismic performances of tire-faced retaining walls are comprehensively evaluated. It is concluded that the seismic performances of the vertical waste tire-faced retaining wall (unreinforced) are weak, while the overall seismic performances of the vertical waste tire-faced retaining wall reinforced with geogrids are significantly improved.