Liberty Tire Helps with Atlanta Cleanup

Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling, a provider of tire recycling services, has donated tire collection and reclamation services to help an Atlanta area arts center.

Crews from Liberty Tire’s plant in Atlanta have collected and recycled as many as 1,000 scrap tires that were illegally dumped on the property of The Arts Exchange in Atlanta. The reclamation began in mid-May of 2011.
 
“When the center contacted us to tell us what they were facing, we were happy to offer our assistance at no charge,” says Dewey Grantham, regional sales manager for Liberty Tire Recycling. “The warmer months are upon us, and abandoned tire piles can be a haven for vermin and insects. They can also cause a fire hazard. The Arts Exchange certainly doesn’t want to face such a situation when they host outdoor activities for children.”
 
Employees at The Arts Center have been working to resolve the situation since they discovered the tire piles in the fall of 2010. When they began making inquiries into how to remove the tires, they learned that the center could be charged as much as $2 per tire for removal.

“We are a nonprofit arts center that aims to provide affordable work space for visual and performing artists,” says Lisa Tuttle, a board director for The Arts Exchange and a studio artist. “Our tenants include African dance companies, an online digital arts magazine and a youth steel band. As you might imagine, we have limited resources. We are pleased that Liberty Tire is willing to perform this service to us and to the community at no cost.”
 
Once the tires are collected, Liberty Tire Recycling will shred and grind them into crumb rubber and other saleable commodities, such as rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds, infill for synthetic athletic fields and rubberized asphalt.
 
“Liberty Tire Recycling has a well-deserved reputation for remediating illegal tire dumps across the country,” says Jeff Kendall, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. “We are hoping that a few hours of work at The Arts Exchange will go a long way toward creating a safer environment for the people who rely on the center.”  
 
More information on Liberty Tire Recycling, which recycles some 130 million passenger tire equivalents (PTEs) annually, can be found at www.libertytire.com.