Oct. 30, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 502

Media contact: Laurene Eheman, Solid and Hazardous Waste Section, Division of Air and Waste Management, 302-739-9403; or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

20 Tons of Scrap Tires Collected from Delaware Citizens for Recycling at Oct. 25 Event 

Despite a rainy start to the day, the Scrap Tire Drop-Off Day held Oct. 25 was highly successful, collecting about 20 tons of passenger vehicle tires for recycling. During the seven-hour event, about 200 cars stopped by the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Route 5 Transfer Station near Harbeson to drop off a total of 1,600 tires which will be shredded and burned as an energy source.

The Scrap Tire Drop-off Day was held through a partnership between the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA), Independent Disposal Services (IDS) and DNREC’s Scrap Tire Control and Cleanup Program. The event invited residents to recycle their scrap tires free of charge and help reduce environmental and health hazards in our communities.

DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch manages the tire program, which was created to eliminate large, unsightly scrap tire piles. These piles can spawn dangerous fires that produce toxic smoke, and oily liquid runoff from melted tires can pollute groundwater. In addition, tire piles provide ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can carry the West Nile virus.

The Delaware Scrap Tire Cleanup and Control Program is funded by a state fee of $2 per tire on the sale of new tires. Enacted Jan. 1, 2007, the fee is diverted to the Scrap Tire Management Fund, a matching fund and program created to clean up existing scrap tire piles statewide.

For more information on the program and future scrap tire drop-off events, visit DNREC’s website, www.dnrec.delaware.gov/whs/awm/Info/Pages/ScrapTire.aspx, or contact the Scrap Tire Control and Cleanup Program at 302-739-9403.