By Ann McCreary
Old tires can be recycled at no charge on Saturday (Nov. 2) at Methow Recycles in Twisp through a program coordinated by Okanogan County Public Health.
Members of the Liberty Bell High School football team will volunteer their time to help load and stack tires delivered to Methow Recycles, said Ella Robbins of the county health department.
“This event could not happen without the assistance of the football team and the demonstration of their community spirit,” Robbins said.
Robbins said she expects about 1,500 tires of all sizes to be delivered for recycling. Citizens can bring their tires to Methow Recycles from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The tires will be recycled by Tire Disposal and Recycling Inc. of Oregon, which processes the tires for a variety of uses including fuel, civil engineering projects and as a component of playground surfaces.
The recycling day in Twisp is one of four tire collection events conducted in Okanogan County, Robbins said.
“The local community response to the tire recycling event has been terrific. We have located over 23,000 tires throughout the county that have been disposed of and kept out of our local landfill, which in turn extends the life of our local landfill and cleans up the county,” Robbins said.
The tire recycling program is funded through a grant from Washington Department of Ecology, Robbins said. Because there has been such strong community response, she said the county hopes to offer another tire disposal opportunity next year.
For individuals or businesses with more than 200 tires, the county can arrange to pick them up during a future recycling drive, Robbins said. People interested in a pickup should call in advance.
For information, contact Robbins at the Okanogan County Public Health Department, (509) 422-7146 or erobbins@co.okanogan.wa.us.
