Tire disposal days set

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Tired of tons of time-worn tires?
Saturdays in September will supply some solace.
Wythe County will hold tire collection days on Sept. 8, 15 and 22 to give residents a chance to clear out their stacks of rubber.
The first collection will take place in the Fort Chiswell High School parking lot, followed by drop-offs at Rural Retreat High School and at the Wythe-Bland Solid Waste Transfer Station on Kents Lane.
The Sept. 22 collection day will coincide with the annual Wythe-Bland Public Service Authority’s household hazardous waste collection day, also held at the Transfer Station.
The hazardous waste collection will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., while all three tire collection events are scheduled to last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All times are contingent upon available space.
Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors debated the logistics of collecting thousands of tires.
Although details may change pending the results of the first collection day, the supervisors agreed on a few initial regulations to help the process go as smoothly as possible.
“The first one we’ll do, we’ll learn a lot that day,” said Cellell Dalton, county administrator.
The county plans to have at least one tractor-trailer, estimated to hold 1,700 tires, available on each day. Dalton said a second tractor-trailer is scheduled for the Transfer Station and the county may add another to Rural Retreat based on the first day’s turnout.
Dalton added that a few other smaller trucks will also be on-hand as backups to handle tractor tires.
Wythe County residents will be allowed to bring a maximum of 100 tires on each of the three designated Saturdays, although if late in the day the tractor-trailer has not filled up, people who leave their contact information may be called and given the OK to bring more.
Businesses will not be able to drop-off tires at the county-sponsored collections.
All tires must be free of debris and removed from rims before they will be accepted at the drop-off sites.
Truck tires will only be accepted if they are less than 22 inches. Supervisor Eddie Hagee questioned why large truck tires could not be accepted if the even bigger tractor tires will be allowed.
After much back-and-forth, the supervisors confirmed that truck tires over 22 inches would not be accepted because of space constraints.
Supervisor Lisa Eaton, however, stressed that tires such as those from lawnmowers and ATVs also will be accepted.
The September drop-offs will be a free service.
Other options for residents looking to throw out tires are Lusk Disposal in Wytheville and Thompson Tire.
Tires are accepted there during regular business hours for a $1 per tire charge, although Dalton said the county allows a charge of up to $3 for each tire so rates can fluctuate.
Statistics from Thompson Tire highlight the need for the disposal day.
Store manager Kevin Funk said his business accepts tires from three other dealers, as well as on-site drop-offs. He estimates that they dispose of 15,000 to 18,000 tires each year, which equates to nearly 1,500 tires a month.
Funk said the tires collected from Thompson Tire are taken by a company from North Carolina that recycles them for use in asphalt and other projects. Dalton said the tires collected by the county will also be taken out of the county and recycled.
Although the details of the collection days caused some controversy, the supervisors agreed upon the importance of the service.
“We ought to get rid of a lot of tires anyway,” Hagee said.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .