Ohio DNR Issues Grants for Tire Recycling

The state of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources issued close to $1 million in grants to five solid waste management districts and their private sector partners to recycle scrap tires. The grants were announced late last month. The money totaled $927,739, and was issued as part of the Scrap Tire Market Development Grant program.

The maximum grant amount was $350,000 for manufacturing or processing projects involving more than 1 million tires a year. Lesser amounts were available for projects recycling fewer tires, for research and development projects, and for tire procurement or demonstration project.

The recipients are the following:

Brown County Solid Waste Management Authority and Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc. received a $295,854 grant that will be used to buy machinery to shred about 1,500,000 scrap tires over the next 18 months. The shredded tires will be used for tire-derived fuel and for civil engineering products at Rumpke's facilities in Brown County. Brown County and Rumpke will invest more than $1,800,000 into the project.

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and Crane Plastics Manufacturing, Ltd., received a grant for $36,000 grant. The money will assist Crane Plastics produce a newly designed railroad tie of recycled plastic and scrap tires. Once production is underway, Crane believes that the company's consumption of shredded rubber could grow to the equivalent of 1,700,000 scrap tires a year. Crane Plastics will provide more than $36,000 in matching funds for the project.

Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District and Groundscape Technologies, LLC received a $250,000 grant to purchase and install a packaging system so that Groundscape Technologies can dispose of 1,090,000 scrap tires a year.

The company will use the shredded tires to produce a variety of landscaping materials and playground surfaces material. Cuyahoga County and Groundscape will invest $460,000 into the project.

Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District and Cinergy Power Generation Services, LLC received a $35,000 grant that will allow Cinergy to process 60,000 scrap tires for a test burn and research project to determine the feasibility of using shredded tires as fuel in the company's Miami Fort boiler. Cinergy will invest more than $170,000 into the pilot project.

Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority and Akron Thermal, LP received a $310,000 grant that will go toward the purchase and installation of a scrap tire-derived fuel feed system to complement Akron Thermal's existing boiler system. The company plans to use this fuel feed to process approximately 1,095,000 tires per year. Akron Thermal will invest $450,000 into the project.