NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Oct. 16, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 413
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, Nov. 7
Citizens encouraged to recycle tires to protect the environment
Delaware residents are encouraged to recycle scrap tires, free of charge, during Scrap Tire Drop-Off Day 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain or shine, Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Frawley (Blue Rocks) Stadium, 801 S. Madison Street, Wilmington.
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.
Scrap Tire Drop-Off Day is being held in conjunction with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Goods Collection Day and the Clean Wilmington Committee’s Shredding Event.
DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch manages the state program created to eliminate large, unsightly scrap tire piles that can pose hazards to human health and the environment. Tire 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 producers 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 state program helps defray the cost of cleanup of scrap tire piles created before June 30, 2006 and comprising more than 100 tires. This is the third scrap tire drop-off event held by DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch.
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 DNREC’s Scrap Tire Control and Cleanup Program, visit www.awm.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/ScrapTire.aspx or call 302-739-9403.
For more information on Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Goods Collection Day, contact the Delaware Solid Waste Authority at 1-800-404-7080 or visit www.dswa.com.
For the Clean Wilmington Committee’s Shredding Event, contact the City of Wilmington at 302-576-2489.
