Scrap Tire Challenge
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the equivalent of 290 million passanger tires were discarded in the U.S. during 2003, representing one tire for every person in the country. In New York State alone, the Department of Economic Development estimates that 20 million tires are discarded annually. Until the 1990's, there were few options available for management of discarded tires. The size, shape, and composition of tires limited the options of waste management facilities that lacked a modern recycling infrastructure. Past disposal practices often consisted of burying tires in landfills, which proved to be a problematic and inefficient use of landfill space. Another common practice was removal of discarded tires by companies that after finding no suitable or economical use for them, abandoned the tires in uncontrolled and unregulated stockpiles. The environmental dangers of uncontrolled stockpiles became well known after several large fires occurred in stockpiles around the country. The fires proved to be extremely difficult to extinguish and resulted in significant damage to air and water quality in the communities in which they were located. From a public health perspective, the ability of tire stockpiles to become breeding grounds for vermin and insects became especially worrisome.
In response to these concerns many states, including New York, made it illegal to dispose of tires in landfills and established strict controls on size and operations of scrap tire collection facilities. States also became actively involved in the remediation of tire stockpiles within their borders. New York set out on an aggressive schedule beginning in 2004 to eliminate all of the 95 unpermitted stockpiles around the state within six years. (See next section on New York State's Response.)
