News Release 560

TIRE DUMP ROUNDUP CLEANUP PROGRAM CONTINUES

Volume 35-560

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 3, 2007 -- The beautiful colors of the foliage have fallen, giving you a closer look at Missouri's landscapes. Unfortunately, some of those surroundings are littered with piles of scrap tires.  The Missouri Department of Natural Resources suggests now is a great time of year to enroll in the department's Tire Dump Roundup Program and rid your property of unwanted scrap tires at no cost.

Enrollment into the Tire Dump Roundup Program is limited to sites containing approximately 500 to 10,000 tires. Active businesses and property owners who have participated in prior cleanup initiatives are not eligible. The program allows Missouri private property owners to self-report tire dumps on their property and have them cleaned up for free.  The owner must sign an access agreement.  The agreement states that if a property owner violates the solid waste management law in the future, the department can proceed with assessing penalties and cost recovery for the cleanup. 

The Department of Natural Resources established the Tire Dump Roundup Program in November 2006.  Over the past year, 133 sites containing an estimated 273,230 tires have met the qualifications and enrolled in program.  To date, 47 of those sites containing a total of 173,966 tires have been cleaned up and removed from Missouri's environment.  The Missouri Vocational Enterprises provides the labor for the cleanups.

Other financial incentive programs are available to those who do not qualify for the Tire Dump Roundup Program. The department continues to work with Missouri's solid waste districts and not-for-profit citizens groups in cleaning up dumpsites that contain fewer than 500 tires.

The Scrap Tire Fee, a 50-cent-per-tire fee charged on every new tire purchased in Missouri, funds the cleanups.  Since the fee was established in 1990, more than 14 million tires have been removed from Missouri's environment.  The fee will expire on Jan. 1, 2010, unless extended by the legislature.

Illegal scrap tire dumps pose serious environmental and health threats.  Insects and rodents that grow and breed in these dumps can transmit diseases, such as the West Nile virus. Fires at tire dumps can release hazardous substances to the air, soil and water sources. When recycled properly, scrap tires have other beneficial uses.  They can be made into playground surfaces, running tracks, recycled rubber products and can even be burned for fuel in power plants.  In 2005 and 2006, more than 5.5 million tires were used as tire-derived-fuel in power plants. The department is also working with the Missouri Department of Transportation to promote the use of scrap tires in asphalt for Missouri's roadways.

For more information or to sign up for the program, contact the department's Scrap Tire Unit at
800-361-4827 or 573-526-3909.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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