SD County Receives Grant for Tire Recycling Project

The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $28,000 grant from the Solid Waste Management Program to the city of Miller and Hand County as a 50 percent cost share to conduct a county-wide waste tire collection event.

The funding was approved by the board earlier this month.

 “During the last four years, the state has cleaned up more than 4.6 million old tires that are eyesores and a fire hazard,” said Governor Mike Rounds. “This solid waste grant will help the city of Miller and Hand County residents remove and properly dispose of tires that continue to accumulate.”

An estimated 35,000 tires will be removed. The state cost share grant will be used to hire a contractor to pick up, shred, and transport the tire shreds to the Big Stone Power Plant near Milbank, SD.

The total estimated cost of the tire removal is $56,000.

The collection program is expected to take place by this summer.

The state board also approved a grant and loan package of $103,300 from the Solid Waste Management Program and Regional Landfill Assistance appropriation, which will to to Yankton, SD for a transfer and recycling station expansion project.

The funding was needed when bids for the project came in higher than anticipated.

The $103,300 is in addition to a $550,000 grant and loan package the board awarded for the project this past March, and brings the total grant and loan package amount to $653,300.

The funding package now includes a $225,620 grant and $75,000 loan at three percent for seven years through the Solid Waste Management Program, and a $352,680 loan at three percent for 20 years through Regional Landfill Assistance.

“Yankton has determined that expanding its existing transfer facility will improve service, efficiency, and area recycling services,” said Rounds. “This funding will help them get this worthwhile project completed.”

The project calls for construction of a second transfer station loading bay to allow for more efficient separation of municipal solid waste and construction debris. Better separation of construction debris, which is about 20 percent of the Yankton waste, will increase the life of both the landfill baler system and the regional landfill. The project will also make recycling efforts more efficient by providing additional space for the public drop off of recyclable materials.

The total estimated cost of the project is $653,300.