Illinois EPA removes scrap tires in five-county area

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Alec Messina has announced the completion of used tire removal activities in five counties in the Chicago region. The used tire removal actions are part of what the Illinois EPA says are its efforts to assist local governments in providing and maintaining a healthy environment.

“Illinois EPA’s Used Tire Program benefits our communities by removing hazards associated with used tires,” Messina says. “I want to thank our local partners who helped make these collections so successful.”

In total, 598.51 tons of used tires were collected in December:

• The city of Chicago (Grand Avenue), working with the Department of Streets & Sanitation, collected 313.05 tons.
• The city of Chicago (Stony Island), in cooperation with the Department of Streets & Sanitation, collected 105.41 tons.
• Kane County, working with Kane County Recycling Program, collected 6.35 tons.
• Lake County, together with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), collected 28.98 tons.
• The village of Hopkins Park (Kankakee County) collected 22.74 tons.
• Will County, working with the Will County Land Use Department, collected 121.98 tons.

Units of local government assist in the coordination of the collections, allowing Illinois EPA to collect and properly dispose of the used tires that have been collected from public properties, including roadsides, public parks and abandoned sites.

Through the 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 locations.