PLUMSTED — Inmates from the Ocean County jail hauled the last loads of scrap tires off the Gilbert Farm last week, into a tractor-trailer for recycling, marking the end of one cleanup and the beginning of Ocean County’s Scrap Tire Management program.
“Getting rid of old tires has grown in importance over the years with the introduction of West Nile virus to this area,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to Ocean County’s recycling program. “Old tires are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The more tires we get rid of, the better off we will be.”
Lacey was joined at the farm by Mayor Ronald Dancer, representatives from the county health department and the Department of Solid Waste Management.
Armed with a $300,000 Scrap Tire Management Grant from the state, Lacey introduced Ocean County’s Scrap Tire Management program, which includes free tire drop-off at the county’s recycling centers, and a farmer amnesty program.
“The county will waive the $1 tire drop-off fee during this program,” Lacey said. “This program strongly encourages homeowners, municipalities and retirement communities to clean up, collect and recycle scrap tires.”
According to a press release, Ocean County conducted a similar program in 2002, successfully collecting more than 150,000 tires from its residents, municipalities, wooded areas and lots throughout the county and surpassing its goal of 135,000 to 150,000 tires.
“The collection amounted to 153,700 potential mosquito-breeding grounds that were eliminated because we collected the tires and had them recycled,” Lacey said. “This program has been successful in the past and will be again.”
The county began the tire collection at the Gilbert Farm during the earlier program and to date has gathered up and recycled about 12,000 scrap tires from the site.
The 2005 program will consist of an Ocean County Farmer Amnesty Program at the Ocean County Road Garage in Plumsted. The county will place two 30 cubic yard roll-off containers at the garage and up to 20 tires a day will be accepted from Ocean County farmers. That part of the program will run from May 2-27 and from Oct. 2-28. The tires can be dropped off from 7 to 11 a.m. daily.
Municipalities and retirement communities can now bring tires directly to the Ocean County Remanufacturing Center, Route 9, Dover Township.
And the county’s recycling centers in Stafford and Lakewood will accept tires at no cost from homeowners, waiving the $1 fee. Homeowners will be limited to 20 tires per day.
“Our residents have taken advantage of this program in the past and we hope they would continue to do so,” Lacey said. “We cleaned up some of the county’s hot spots a few years ago but we know more exist today.”
Ocean County has contracted with Ocean County Remanufacturing Center, Route 9, Dover, to recycle and properly discard the tires.
The county accepts used tires at the Ocean County Northern Recycling Center, New Hampshire Avenue, Lakewood, and at the Ocean County Southern Recycling Center, in Stafford.
Participants in the program will be asked to prove residency.
For more information residents can call 1-800-55-RECYCLE.