Through a state grant, various regional departments have created a free resource to dispose of tires.
A gaggle of volunteers waited in the Wayne National Forest Headquarters parking lot Saturday afternoon to add tires to the stockpile growing in the back of a large truck.
The group was collecting tires under the Tire Amnesty Grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Ohio Scrap Tire Cleanup Program. The tire collection happens semi-annually and provides a resource for area residents to dispose of stray tires in an ecofriendly and cost-effective way. Over the past four to five years, more than 60,000 tires have been collected through the grant.
With every car that pulled in, an exclamation of “Tires? Tires!” came from the group, usually to be disappointed when the car reentered Route 33. However, when a red, slightly rusty vehicle stopped beside the truck, the men sprung into action, loading tires into the space where they were just guarding themselves from the wind.
A number of area departments were involved in the effort, including the Athens City-County Health Department, Wayne National Forest and the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District.
The volunteers started out at 8 a.m. and the morning had been busy, said Mike Cooper, an environmental health specialist at Athens City-County Health Department. The group had collected 450 tires as of 1 p.m.
“We wish we knew where they were coming from,” Cooper said, adding those bringing the tires in have often collected them from neighborhoods and the sides of roads.
It’s a felony offense to dump scrap tires in Ohio, with possible consequences including heavy fines or imprisonment. According to the Ohio EPA, 12 million scrap tires are generated per year in Ohio.
The tires create standing water when abandoned outside, a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The tires gathered through the collections go to Liberty Tire in Columbus, where they are recycled.
“What’s amazing is that people bring them in themselves,” Gary Chancey, public affairs officer for Wayne National Forest, said. “They spend their own time and own fuel.”
There’s been a steady decline in the number of tires collected, something Cooper said is an indicator of the success of the program.
Joe Holland, an environmental specialist at the Ohio EPA, said the grant program was well implemented.
“(They’ve) put together a collaborative effort, and a lot of (city health departments) haven’t done that,” he said. “It’s hard to put together, but it’s easier to get things done.”
Organizers will reapply for the tire amnesty grant in late June of 2015.
@EmilyMBamforth
eb104010@ohio.edu
