Grant program would allow Dougherty County residents to drop off old tires at no cost

ALBANY – Whether in the city or out in the country, it doesn’t take a long drive to run across tires dumped illegally, in ones and twos or fours or, in some cases, many more.

In addition to being an eyesore, these tires can serve as breeding areas for mosquitoes as well as rodents and the snakes that pursue them.

Dougherty County and Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful are looking to apply for a grant that will allow for the collection and disposal of old tires. The grant, through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, would reimburse the county for up to $75,000 and would not require the city to pay any matching funds.

KADB plans two events, on Sept. 14 and Oct. 5, during which residents can turn in tires at no cost.

“It’s a very big issue,” KADB Executive Director Jwana Washington said during an interview following a presentation Monday to the Dougherty County Commission. “There are several streets I follow, and there are tires just out in a field. On Johnny Williams Road, it is a big issue. On any given day, you can ride by and see random tires thrown somewhere.”

After hearing comments from the Dougherty County Commission Monday morning, there may be other opportunities to drop off the old tires as well. Several commissioners suggested that the plan to have the drop-off site at the county landfill could prove to be inconvenient and thus reduce the impact of the tire drop-off opportunity.

Currently, Dougherty County residents are allowed to drop off up to five tires at the landfill at no charge.

“The problem we have with dumping is people don’t want to go to the landfill, and they don’t want to pay that fee,” Commissioner Russell Gray said. “I do think the problem is the distance of driving all the way to the landfill because they’re lazy and they just dump them on the side of the road.”

Commissioner Victor Edwards suggested having more convenient and centralized locations such as the Albany Civic Center and the Meredyth Drive recycling center. Commissioner Ed Newsome also said he liked the idea of multiple locations in the county for dropping off tires.

“I don’t think we’re going to have the participation if we don’t make it easy,” Gray said. “(We should) have multiple locations, Dumpsters where the public can just drop them off.”

Based on the commissioners’ remarks, Washington said that organizers will consider other alternatives to the single landfill collection site.

Tires collected during the grant-funded effort won’t just end up in a landfill, Washington said.

“You’ve seen the tires that are in the playgrounds,” she said. “These tires will be recycled. If anyone needs more information, call us at (229) 302-3098.”

Staff Photo: Alan mauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]