‘It’s an environmental issue:’ Starting scrap tire education program in Youngstown
Just yesterday, members of the Green Youngstown litter clean-up team found 100 tires dumped on the east side of the city of Youngstown.
Bob Burke is the program coordinator for Green Youngstown, part of the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development department.
He said scrap tire dumping has been an ongoing problem that’s impacting the community in more ways than one.
“It’s an environmental problem,” said Burke. “It’s shameful and there’s ways to get rid of those types of legally without...hiring a friend with a pickup to take trips and dump them somewhere.”
Scrap tire education
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency granted the city of Youngstown $20,000 for a city-wide scrap tire education program to combat the problem.
“We get $20,000 total for Ohio EPA’s tire education and outreach. It aims to educate scrap tire generators about the proper management of scrap tires,” said Burke.
With the grant money, teams will be going out to local businesses like tire shops, car dealerships and junkyards about proper scrap tire management and answer the question: What do you do with old, used tires?
“Basically [my team] will be going out and educating them on the proper ways to get rid of their scrap tires,” said Burke. “From time to time we’ll find a handful of them left on the road, but every now and then we’ll find a big pile. It’s an environmental issue.”
Burke explained that scrap tires left abandoned can accumulate water, which attracts mosquitoes seeking breeding grounds.
“We collect tires that are reported dumped within Youngstown city limits,” said Burke. “Once we collect around 300 [tires], we contact the Ohio EPA who has a contract with Liberty Tire. They come up from Columbus and take them back to their facility. Once there, they recycle them.”
According to the Ohio EPA’s law enforcement guide to scrap tires, illegally burning tires can also cause health hazards.
The Ohio EPA has guidelines to apply online for a no-fault scrap tire sleanup at your property.
Green Youngstown also hosts regular tire recycling drives; follow the Green Youngstown Facebook page for upcoming events.
If you have questions about getting rid of scrap tires, call (330) 744-7526 or email recycle@YoungstownOhio.gov.
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This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 12:35 PM.
