Tennessee Awards $2.8 Million in Tire Recycling Grants

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau have jointly announced the issuing of 41 grants to help communities in the state recycle tires.

The tire recycling grants, totaling more than $2.8 million in fiscal year 2013-14, are supported by Tennessee’s Solid Waste Management Fund, which receives revenue from a pre-disposal fee on the purchase of new tires.

“Working with our local county partners is vital to the success of this program,” Haslam says. “The Solid Waste Management Fund continues to provide support to Tennessee’s communities, assisting in the diversion of waste tires from landfills for the benefit of the environment.”

The fund is administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation, and $1.25 from the $1.35 pre-disposal fee collected is used to supplement the counties’ costs for waste tire recycling and services.

“Tennessee’s tire recycling program provides an environmentally sound disposal method, and it’s important that communities continue to focus on waste reduction as part of their overall waste management plan,” adds Martineau.