NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
March 30, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 118
Contact: Laurene Eheman, Solid and Hazardous Waste Section, Division of Air and Waste Management, 302-739-9403; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.
Scrap Tire Drop-off Day Set for Saturday April 18
Citizens Encouraged to Recycle Old Tires during Earth Week
Delaware residents are invited to recycle scrap tires, free of charge, during Scrap Tire Drop-off Day 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., rain or shine, Saturday, April 18 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. The event, being held during Earth Week, encourages citizens to take actions to recycle scrap tires that can pose hazards to human health and the environment.
Up to 10 tires – passenger car or light duty truck tires – can be dropped off per Delaware household; larger tires, tires on rims or bicycle tires will not be accepted. Scrap tire drop-off is limited to residents; tires from commercial dealers will not be accepted. Proof of residency is required – either a driver’s license or utility bill. Residents should enter the Delaware State Fairgrounds through the main gate on U.S. Rt. 13 and follow the signs to the drop-off site. For more information, contact DNREC at 302-739-9403.
“Our first drop-off event last October was very successful,” said Laurene Eheman, administrative manager with DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Section. “More than 1,600 old tires were dropped off, which were later recycled and reused. Earth Week is a great time for citizens to cleanup their properties and keep our communities free from scrap tire piles.”
DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch manages the state program created to eliminate large, unsightly scrap tire piles that can create environmental hazards. Piles can spawn dangerous fires that produce toxic smoke, and the oily liquid runoff from melted tires can pollute groundwater. In addition, tire piles can be the dominant source of a local mosquito problem.
Delaware produces more than 750,000 scrap tires a year. While many of these tires are recycled or properly disposed, some end up in stockpiles or in illegal dumps around the state. The program helps defray the cost of cleanup of scrap tire piles created before June 30, 2006 and comprising more than 100 tires.
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 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.
