Do you have any ideas for similar cleanup projects in your community? Would you pay $1 extra per tire to clean up landfills?

By Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency

A video documentary about one of Ohio's most successful environmental programs, the Ohio EPA scrap tire abatement program, has been finished and is available for distribution. The new 12-minute video explains the success of the nationally recognized program, which has been recognized by both the tire industry and environmental professionals.

Ohio's scrap tire program began in 1987, when an estimated 33 percent of tires were being recycled. In 2005, that quantity rose to 90 percent, exceeding national rates for glass, plastic, paper and cardboard recyclables. This success benefits not only the environment but the economy as well.

July 2006 marked the removal of the final unburned tire at the Kirby recycling facility in Wyandot County, the largest scrap tire site in Ohio, where an estimated 23 million scrap tires have been removed. The buried tire residuals are still being removed and processed at the Wyandot County Landfill. An additional 13 million scrap tires were removed from 46 other scrap tire sites in Ohio for a total of 35 million tires removed, processed and recycled.

The scrap tire abatement fund initially received money from a 50-cent fee on the wholesale cost of new tires. That amount was increased to 1.00 per tire to cover increased costs from the fire at the Kirby site. Ohio EPA will consider reducing the scrap tire fee after the completion of the Kirby tire clean up in 2008.

In addition to spending money on cleanups, the presence of a scrap tire program has created a deterrent, motivating many of those responsible for scrap tire piles to initiate tire pile cleanup before enforcement action begins against them. Local and private funding has removed more than 10.8 million tires from at least 169 sites since Ohio EPA began implementing Ohio's scrap tire law. Ohio EPA's active enforcement program minimizes open dumping and maximizes tire recycling.

One million dollars per year of scrap tire funds have also been transferred to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the scrap tire grant fund. This grant focuses on expanding and diversifying scrap tire markets, with a current focus on tire-derived fuel.

Ohio EPA won an award from the National Registry of Environmental Professionals as a top national abatement program. In addition, the Rubber Manufacturer's Association rated the scrap tire program as one of the three most improved, ranking Ohio seventh out of 50 states. The program was recognized for increasing scrap tire recycling, diverting a large volume of scrap tires from landfills and cleaning up scrap tire dumps aggressively.

Citizen Contact: Mary McCarron, (614) 644-2160
To view the scrap tire video online, go to:
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/video/mired_in_tires.wmv