Free disposal period runs Oct.13-24 at county landfill
A free tire disposal program that usually coincides with Earth Day kicked off earlier this week.
Gilmer County will host this year’s Tire Amnesty program Oct. 13-24 at the county landfill located at 456 Tower Road. The program started this past Tuesday, instead of Monday, due to the Columbus Day holiday, noted Gilmer County Public Works Director Jim Smith.
“We originally had it set up for April, but, because of COVID-19, we had to postpone it,” he added.
Tires can be dropped off for free at the landfill if customers bringing them in follow certain criteria, including:
﹣ Must be a Gilmer County resident.
﹣ No commercial or industrial tires.
﹣ Each household is limited to a maximum of 20 tires.
﹣ Tires must be free of mud, debris, mosquitoes and water.
﹣ Tires must be taken off the rim.
“We only deal with the rubber,” Smith confirmed. “The other thing is that it’s for individual citizens. not for commercial tire establishments. If we go to buy tires, they charge a disposal fee so it’s their responsibility and an EPD requirement that they dispose of their own tires.”
‘Everybody seems to like it’
Tire amnesty has become a popular annual program since being introduced locally four years ago, confirmed Randy Chadwick, the county’s solid waste manager.
“Everybody seems to like it. In the past, there’s been days where we’ve taken in anywhere from 500-800 tires. The first year we did it, there were some days we took in over 1,000 tires. In just the first year we took in 18,000, but that first year it was (offered) the whole month of April,” he added.
More than 3,500 tires were dropped off last year alone. That number included 3,073 passenger tires, 435 truck tires and 108 off-road tires for a total of 3,616, Smith confirmed.
The program is made possible each year by a grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).
“The grant we received this year is for $20,000,” Smith said. “We’ve been able to eliminate a lot of the unsightly tires on the roadways or that have been stored in barns and are unsafe because they harbor mosquito breeding and stuff like that. We’re pleased about that and, I’m not speaking for EPD, but I think they are also pleased with the program Gilmer County has put on the last several years because they keep funding us.”
The county has also received a $5,000 grant from Georgia EPD that provides for tire removal services during the calendar year.
“It’s for the cities of Ellijay, East Ellijay and the county (to) collect tires that have been tossed out on the roadways. That program is called the Right of Way Tire Grant,” said Smith. “Our Adopt-a-Road folks use it. So does the sheriff’s office, our road department, Georgia DOT and code enforcement. It’s to try to get rid of these tires and keep it under control.”
Georgia EPD funds both the tire amnesty and right-of-way tire removal efforts through its Scrap Tire Abatement Reimbursement (STAR) Program, which is funded by the state’s Solid Waste Trust Fund. Applications for the programs are accepted year-round and projects are funded on a first-come, first-served basis. More than 70 Georgia counties currently receive funding for some type of STAR program.
According to the state EPD website, local governments have been reimbursed more than $1.4 million to cover scrap tire removal transport and processing costs, while more than 630,500 scrap tires have been removed and recycled statewide since the program began in 2016.
A disposal and recycling program
A semi trailer is on hand at the landfill to store the tires. Several trailer loads are usually collected and hauled off by the time the amnesty period is done.
“We can get about 900 tires, depending on the size, in a trailer. Our cost is $2,600 per trailer load. We have arrangements with the company so when we fill the trailer up, they pick it up and bring us an empty trailer,” Smith said.
The discarded tires are eventually recycled after being hauled off, Smith noted.
“It is a recycling program and we’ve been fortunate to get the grants. We will keep doing it for as long as they want to fund us,” he added.
“Liberty Tire (Recycling) is the contract hauler. They haul them to a disposal facility where the tires are ground up and used in a variety of things like athletic surfaces. It’s used in asphalt, too, because it helps with the adhesion.”
Chadwick said customers coming to the landfill will need to check with someone there before they dispose of their tires.
“When they come in, I will have someone out there and they will need to check in with that person and let them know how many tires they have. Once they get checked in, they can come up to where we store them at and put them right on the trailer.”
The free tire disposal will only be available at the Tower Road landfill, not community convenience centers, confirmed Smith.
“They can’t just drop them off anywhere or throw them in a dumpster. We have an area there that’s the tire disposal yard and it’s just for these tires. We’ll have the trailer there and it’s within a concrete enclosure. We’ll also have signs up that direct them to the tire disposal yard,” he added.