Officials hoping to recycle used tires

Members of the West Central Solid Waste District are concerned about the proper disposal of tires.

As it stands, there are no places in the tri-county area that recycle tires. When tire shops dispose of tires, a company comes in and shreds them so they can be taken to landfills.

Carolyn Robinson, office and programs coordinator for WCSWD, said at a meeting on Wednesday this was not an option she wished to pursue. The board made a motion to have a company from Peru come to their July meeting to talk about different options of tire disposal and recycling.

The board also heard about the recycling center in Rockville.

Often, patrons wishing to recycle on the weekends can't due to the bins already being full. Instead, they just end up throwing things away.

"It is not good for you to be teaching people about recycling then not giving the people the option to," Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray told Robinson.

Robinson said the cost to have the bins emptied more than once a week was $150 per visit. The board then talked about that option, but took no action.

Robinson showed the board a water bottle made from corn.

The bottles are good for 90 uses and biodegrade completely in a commercial landfill in 80 days. The cap includes a water filter for filtering out the chlorine in municipal water.

The bottles cost $7 a piece. Robinson wanted to let people know about these bottles because they are better for the environment than plastic, although pricier.

Information on the bottles can be found online at www.newwaveenviro.com.