Environmental Progress - Spring 2003

TREAD Seeks To Flatten Illegal Tire Dumps

Public, local officials being asked to help identify sites

In late March, a project to identify and remove illegal tire dumps got rolling in Illinois. Dubbed project TREAD, for Tire Reduction, Education and Disposal, the effort is calling on the public and local officials to deal with the unsightly tire dumps that are fire hazards as well as ideal breeding grounds for disease carrying mosquitoes.

“Illinois EPA’s Used Tire Management Program last year cleaned up more than 1.1 million waste tires that were potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes that may spread West Nile virus and other diseases,” said IEPA Director Renee Cipriano.

“Project TREAD will urge citizens and local officials to report improperly discarded tires to the Illinois EPA and/or to local police,” Director Cipriano added.

Fact sheets and IEPA contact lists on addressing the hazards posed by abandoned used tires will also be sent to local officials across the state. Public Service Announcements will be mailed to radio stations statewide and IEPA will give special recognition to those officials and citizens who make outstanding contributions to Project TREAD.

“In addition to the more than 1,000 inspections done by our staff each year, we rely on tips from the public and local officials to track down abandoned tires,” noted Director Cipriano.

If mosquito larvae are found, the inspector applies a larvacide and takes immediate action to have the tires removed and disposed of properly. Illinois EPA is part of the state’s West Nile Virus Task Force and last year cleaned up more than 50,000 waste tires at the request of the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments.

Approximately 12 million used tires are generated each year in Illinois. While most are now managed properly as a result of oversight by the IEPA’s Used Tire Management Unit, there are still hundreds of thousands of tires that need to be removed from illegal sites each year.