Ohio Agency Awards $775K in Grants to Boost Tire Recycling

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has awarded scrap tire grants for several projects in the state that aim to reduce the number of tires disposed of in landfills. The grant money ranges from $74,700 to $150,000. The grant totals depended on the number of scrap tires that were used.

Businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, municipalities and solid waste management districts are eligible for the grants. A match of at least 100 percent is required.

Previous scrap tire grants have funded various projects including several ground tire re-paving efforts, creation of tire-derived fuel to power industrial boilers and power plants, and the purchase of scrap tire processing equipment.

Grant recipients, as well as the amount and the application, are the following:

· The City of Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks was awarded $75,000 to apply a crumb rubber playing surface in parks. The conventional grass playing fields will be converted to rubberized natural grass fields by applying 120,000 pounds of recycled crumb rubber to each surface.

· The North Central Ohio Solid Waste Management District was awarded $74,723 to pave roadways at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center with recycled scrap tires.

· The Wood County Solid Waste District (Enviro-Tire Recycling) received a $75,000 grant to establish a scrap tire shredding operation in northwest Ohio. The shredded tires will be marketed for civil engineering projects and for tire-derived fuel. The company is requesting assistance to install the equipment to improve efficiency of operations and allow the facility to grind more tires.

The Muskingum County Engineer was awarded $150,000 to pave one county road and two state routes, using scrap tires.

· The Logan County Engineer received $150,000 to pave four roads in the county, using scrap tire material.