Riverside County Given $96,000 to Clean up Old Tires

Riverside County was awarded nearly $96,000 from the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for the removal of discarded tires, the department announced today.

The department announced the distribution of more than $1.7 million to agencies across the state to collect illegally dumped tires and take them to state-certified collection facilities as part of the Local Government Waste Tire Cleanup Program.

According to CalRecycle, tires can be recycled into rubberized asphalt concrete for paving roads, drainage material for retaining walls and landslide- prone embankments, landscape mulch and playground surfaces.

"These grants are important weapons as communities fight to reduce the blight and environmental hazards caused by illegal tire dumping," said CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen. "Waste tires are a useful resource when managed properly, and we are dedicated to seeing that as many of them as possible are available for the recycling market."

Riverside County was awarded $95,897.

Among the other agencies receiving funds were San Diego County, which was given $73,605; the city of San Diego, which received $98,842; Los Angeles County, $140,000; city of Los Angeles, $99,993; Lancaster, $100,000; and Long Beach, $47,951.

Funded by revenue from a fee on each new tire sold in the state, the Local Government Waste Tire Cleanup Grant Program offers grants to cities, counties, local agencies and qualifying Indian tribes for the collection, removal, transport and end use or disposal of illegally dumped tires, according to CalRecycle.

Grant funds can only be used for tire removal along public rights of way and on private property with either fewer than 500 tires on site or 500 to 5,000 tires if the property owner signs an affidavit stating they did not bring or allow the tires on site.

According to CalRecycle, Californians generated 40.8 million waste tires in 2011.