SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (July 26, 2023) – From April through June, an environmental contractor for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed approximately 428.47 tons of used tires dumped in various townships and municipalities throughout Illinois. That amount is equivalent to 37,919 passenger car or truck tires.
To accomplish this level of collection, the EPA sponsored several used tire collection events in partnership with units of local government. Funding through the Used Tire Management Fund pays for an environmental contractor to remove and dispose or recycle tires recovered by local highway departments, often from public and abandoned properties.
The program also helps mitigate a specific health risk. “Used and waste tires serve as a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes, which pose a potential public health threat,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim.
Dumped tires can also result in contamination of air, land, and water, particularly if they catch fire.
Through the Used Tire Program, tires are properly disposed of at a registered processing facility in Illinois. Some tires are retreaded and reused; others are recycled into a variety of products and uses.
The Illinois EPA’s Used Tire Program is funded by a $2.50 per tire fee that consumers pay when purchasing tires at retail.
Additional information is available at epa.illinois.gov/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/used-tires.html.
Related
- Tons of tires removed in five counties (September 2019)
