State cleans up 1 million used tires; County sees comparatively little illegal dumping

    Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment now has removed more than 1 million waste tires from illegal tire dump sites as part of a program to reduce the negative impacts waste tires can cause to public health and the environment.
    Phillips County, however, has not shown to be part of the apparent statewide epidemic. Landfill supervisor Bill Andrews explained that there had been some concern in the past that charging a fee to accept tires would lead to people dumping them in ditches. He was pleased to report that they haven’t seen much of that happening.
    Colorado generates more than 7 million waste tires each year, and the state’s private industries accept 600,000 waste tires from other states yearly. CDPHE oversees how these waste tires are hauled, stored, and recycled or reused. While there now are regulations to specify how waste tires should be properly managed, historically this was not the case and tires were illegally dumped in small and large piles in areas across the state.
    A single abandoned waste tire can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which often carry harmful diseases such as the West Nile virus. Tires also can pose a fire risk, especially because tire fires can release harmful chemicals into the environment and are difficult to extinguish.
    At Phillips County Landfill, there are strict regulations that must be followed when accepting tires. It cannot bury them, so tires are stockpiled until there are enough to be picked up by Resource Management, the company the landfill pays to dispose of tires. Paying that company is what necessitates charging a fee for tires dropped off at the landfill.

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