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Since 2002, Luzerne County residents have recycled close to 222,600 tires though the county’s solid waste management tire recycling collections. The next two Saturdays will add to the total.
The county will accept tires during its 2016 tire Recycling collection dates — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 4 at Drums Elementary Middle School, 85 S. Old Turnpike Road, Drums; and 8a.m. to 2 p.m. June 11 at the Hanover Junior/Senior High School, Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover Township.
Though the collection is free, residents must register with the Solid Waste Management office — 1-800-821-7654 — to get a pre-registration number.
“We’re fortunate enough to offer the program (free) to residents,” said Luzerne County recycling coordinator Beth Denardi.
A grant, which reimburses the solid waste management office up to 50 percent, helps defray the cost to the county. Denardi said the office puts the money up front, keeps receipts and submits receipts and grants to the state.
Registration is essential because Denardi can alert Mahantango Enterprises, of Liverpool, PA, the recycling vendor for the event. If the vendor knows how many tires to expect, it can provide the correct number of trucks.
“(We can get residents) in and out fairly quickly,” Denardi said. “Keep the traffic flowing.”
According to Denardi, the solid waste management department decided to hold four tire collections this year — two in the summer, two in the fall — because the electronic recycling program has been suspended.
“People wait for it,” Denardi said, noting she is expecting upward of 800 cars at each site. For Denardi, one tire collected is one more tire out of the woods.
“(Recycling them is safer) with diseases and stagnant water (in old tires)” she said.
Rules for the collection are:
• a 15 tire limit per registered vehicle
• tires must be removed from rims
• tires must not be full of water or excessively dirty
The last day to register a vehicle is June 3 for the Drums location and June 10 for the Hanover Area collection.
