EPA forces removal action at Patriot Tire Shredders

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director John J. Kim has announced the completion of a large used tire removal action at Patriot Tire Shredders, 147 S. 15th St., East St. Louis, an environmental justice area in St. Clair County. Illinois EPA has authority under the Illinois Environmental Protection Act to carry out forced removals when an accumulation of used or waste tires poses a threat to public health or the environment. This forced removal action was conducted under an order issued by the St. Clair County Circuit Court, the Illinois EPA reports in a news release. The forced removal action began April 6 and was completed May 14. Nearly 2,400 tons of used/waste tires (the equivalent of 210,614 passenger tires) were removed from the property at a cost of $496,054. Funds from the Illinois EPA’s Used Tire Program paid for the removal.

“The quantity of waste tires left unmanaged at this site posed a threat to the environment and a significant fire hazard within the community,” says Director Kim. “This was a significant undertaking, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Illinois EPA remains committed to addressing these environmental hazards to protect residents and communities when responsible parties fail to comply with environmental regulations.”

The site’s operator, Terry Nelson, and the property owner, Maurice Carraway, allowed the accumulation of used or waste tires at the site since operations began in December 2018, according to the Illinois EPA. The agency issued a violation notice in March 2019 and identified additional violations in April and May 2019. The matter was referred to the Attorney General’s Office in August 2019.

The operator did not reduce the tonnage of used tires accumulated at the site as directed by a Preliminary Injunction Order issued in August 2019, the Illinois EPA says. As a result, an order was issued in St. Clair County Circuit Court in January that effectively shut down the site. According to EPA, the agency subsequently initiated the tire removal action because it was believed that the operator would abandon the site, leaving a threat to human health and the environment posed by the very large accumulation of used tires.

In addition to being in an environmental justice area, the site is close to schools, nursing homes, public housing and residences. EPA warns that used tires serve as habitats for disease-carrying insects, particularly mosquitoes, and states that removal of tires further reduces the threat of mosquito-borne diseases.

Through Illinois EPA’s Used Tire Program, used tires are properly disposed of at a registered, commercial used tire processing facility in Illinois. Some tires are retreaded and reused, and 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.