The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) is collaborating with Marin Sanitary Service and Waste Management, Inc., to host two free waste tire recycling events starting Oct. 21 in an effort to reduce fire hazard and prevent mosquito breeding. The event will run through Nov. 1 at the Marin Resource Recovery Center in San Rafael and Redwood Landfill in Novato.
Far too often, tires are left in backyards or on rural properties where they pose a fire threat and create a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes. A single waste tire with water inside can produce thousands of mosquitoes each year. The two-week tire disposal event will help reduce fire hazards and prevent millions of mosquitoes from breeding that could potentially result in the transmittal of West Nile virus, encephalitis and other diseases.
The two recycling locations are:
- Marin Resource Recovery Center, 565 Jacoby St., San Rafael, open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Redwood Landfill, 8950 Redwood Highway, Novato, open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This free waste tire collection program is limited to Marin residents and excludes businesses. Residents can bring up to nine tires per trip, limited to passenger car and pickup truck tires only, with or without rims. This program is funded through a grant from the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
Marin DPW has collected more than 25,000 tires at similar events over the past nine years. The target is to collect up to 3,500 waste tires this fall. Collected tires will be recycled into crumb rubber, which can be used to make flooring material, mixed into asphalt or used in the production of new tires. The tires may also be shredded and used in engineering projects for road construction and erosion control. Tires in good condition may also be reused.
Michael Frost, Deputy Director of Public Works, said, “With the right amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel, enhance handling and prevent accidents. So remember to take good care of your current tires before properly recycling your old ones.”