Press Release - Wednesday, July 19, 2023
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Illinois EPA Completes 19 Used Tire Collections Throughout the State
Over 428 Tons of Tires Collected and Properly Handled in April - June
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently sponsored several used tire collection events throughout Illinois in partnership with units of local government. The Used Tire Program provides funding through the Used Tire Management Fund for an environmental contractor to remove and dispose or recycle tires recovered by local highway departments. From April through June, the Illinois EPA's contractor removed approximately 428.47 tons of used tires, equivalent to 37,919 passenger car or truck tires that had been dumped in various townships and municipalities in Illinois.
"Used and waste tires serve as a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes, which pose a potential public health threat," said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. "Illinois EPA's used tire program is a great example of our assistance to local governments by removing used tires from collected from public and abandoned properties."
Used tire collections are made possible through the cooperation of units of local government who assist in coordinating the collections, including accumulating tires that were dumped at public properties, including roadsides, public parks, and abandoned sites. This allows the Illinois EPA to properly dispose of used and waste tires. Dumped tires can result in contamination of the air, land, and water, and serve as habitats for disease-carrying insects, particularly mosquitoes. By removing tires throughout the year, the Used Tire Program reduces the threat of mosquito-borne diseases and minimizes the threat of tire-related fires.
Through the Used Tire Program, used and waste tires are properly disposed of at a registered, commercial used tire processing facility in Illinois. Some tires are retreaded and reused, and others are recycled into a variety of products and uses. The Illinois EPA's Used Tire Program is funded by a $2.50 per tire fee that consumers pay when purchasing tires at retail. Additional information on the Illinois EPA's Used Tire Program is available at https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/used-tires.html. A complete list of the Used Tire Collections conducted in April, May, and June is below.
| County | Event Coordinator | Tons Removed | Date |
| Champaign | Champaign County Department of Planning and Zoning | 51.43 | 5/9/2023 |
| Cook | City of Chicago | 79.71 | 5/16/2023 |
| Cook | City of Chicago | 83.99 | 5/18/2023 |
| Cook | Cook County Forest Preserve | 12.85 | 5/24/2023 |
| Cook | Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District | 7.68 | 5/23/2023 |
| Cook | North Shore Mosquito Abatement District | 3.49 | 4/3/2023 |
| Cook | Northwest Mosquito Abatement District | 1.01 | 5/10/2023 |
| DuPage | DuPage County | 15.34 | 6/15/2023 |
| Henderson | Henderson County Health Department | 47.52 | 6/1/2023 |
| Jefferson | Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | 5.36 | 5/26/2023 |
| Kane | Kane County | 27.96 | 4/27/2023 |
| Kankakee | Pembroke Township Board | 9.14 | 5/11/2023 |
| Knox | Knox County Health Department | 26.85 | 6/13/2023 |
| Lake | Solid Waste Agency of Lake County | 16.25 | 6/6/2023 |
| Macon | Macon County Environmental Management | 11.4 | 6/14/2023 |
| Will | Illinois Department of Natural Resources | 5.39 | 4/10/2023 |
| Will | Illinois Department of Natural Resources | 2.1 | 5/2/2023 |
| Williamson | Williamson County Highway Department | 1.25 | 4/20/2023 |
| Woodford | Woodford County Health Department | 19.75 | 5/3/2023 |
| TOTALS |
| 428.47 |
|
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