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May 14, 2012 For more information, contact:
Free waste tire collection May 23 in Owensville If you have been wondering lately what to do with old tires - there’s finally an answer. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Gasconade County Commission, in partnership with the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), will offer a free waste tire collection from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 23 at the Gasconade County Road Department shed, 2685 Highway 19, Owensville. “We highly advise all those who have tires to use this one-time collection,” said Gasconade County Commissioner Matthew Penning. “The more tires turned in at this collection, the less we might have to pick up from county roads at the county’s expense.” Waste tires of all kinds will be accepted at this collection, and no fees will be charged. MDNR’s scrap tire fee funds the collection. MDNR will only provide one of these free tire collections in a community. The scrap tire fund is supported through the 50-cent fee collected on the sale of new tires. These funds are used to fund scrap tire playground grants, tire dump cleanup projects, amnesty tire collections, education activities, enforcement, permitting and inspections. Participants must unload all tires. Tires will not be accepted from businesses. The collection is open to all households in the Ozark Rivers District, including Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. The solid waste district is tasked with reducing by 40 percent the amount of waste generated for disposal. MDNR is working with Missouri Vocational Enterprises of the Missouri Department of Corrections to recycle the tires. Ozark Rivers, MRPC and MDNR are also working with other local governments in the region to host additional collections throughout 2012. The next tire amnesty day is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crawford County Road Department shed, 107 Euclid Road, Steelville. Contact the Crawford County Commission at 573-775-2376 for more information. "It's rare that the general public can recycle tires for free, so we hope residents in the Ozark Rivers' area will take advantage of this opportunity," said Bonnie Prigge, MRPC's executive director. "We appreciate Gasconade County Commission stepping forward to serve as a collection point, and we appreciate DNR providing this great service." Area residents that have questions about the collection can contact the Gasconade County Road Department at 573-437-3911. |