By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org
Community members can safely recycle up to 10 passenger tires for free during an event hosted by the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW).
Kent County residents can drop off their old tires from 8:30-11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Grand Rapids SafeChem location, 1045 Wealthy St. SW. DPW’s resource recovery specialists will be on hand to help unload vehicles and safely dispose of the tires for recycling.
“Whole tires are notoriously difficult to get rid of because they are not accepted by trash pick-up and cannot be disposed in a landfill unless they are shredded,” said Steve Faber, marketing and communications manager of the DPW. “We encourage Kent County residents to take advantage of this collection event to properly dispose of old tires.”
Tire disposal normally costs between $4-6 per tire depending on their size at Kent County DPW facilities. The last free tire collection event hosted by the DPW was in fall 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tires are often found in illegal dumping sites because they are difficult and costly to get rid of. Old tires also serve as breeding grounds for mosquitos and pose fire hazards. All the tires collected on Nov. 12 will be sent to a facility that will process and recycle them into new products, such as playground resurfacing material.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) recently launched a new state program to award grants for entrepreneurs looking to expand ways to reuse old tires. Information about the new Scrap Tire Market Development Grant can be found online.
