Mark your calendars! A Great American Cleanup FREE Scrap Tire Drop-off event will be held Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. at the Wayne National Forest Headquarters located off US Hwy 33 between The Plains and Nelsonville in Athens County.
The event is being held in partnership with Wayne National Forest, Athens City-County Health Department, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Keep Southeast Ohio Beautiful.
Our goal is to collect up to 1200 scrap tires, which will be later recycled. Once we reach our goal, we will stop collecting. No tires will be received after hours. No tires will be accepted from tire shops, dealers, or repair shops. No tires exceeding 54 in. in height and/or 16 in. in width will be collected.
“The Wayne National Forest is happy to partner with the Athens City-County Health Department to host this one day collection site for scrap tires from the local community. Since our first event in 2011, we have collected well over 3,000 scrap tires, reducing the potential for illegal dumping on public and private lands,” said Forest Spokesman Gary Chancey.
The public is reminded that dumping tires is a felony offense in Ohio. Dumpsites with scrap tires provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos, which can multiply 100 times faster than normal in the warm, stagnant water standing in scrap tires casings. Severe illnesses have been attributed to disease-carrying mosquitoes originating from scrap tire piles.
Funding for the event comes from an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Litter Collection and Prevention Grant awarded to the Athens City-County Health Department. In 2013, Forty five communities will benefit from litter collection efforts or new tire amnesty collection programs thanks to grants from Ohio EPA. Ohio EPA awarded a total of $527,670.88.
City of Nelsonville, Ohio Information Blog 