MWCD Collects 25,000 Pounds at Tire Amnesty Day

MWCD Employees, Matt Thomas and Paige Hay help load tires into the shipping truck.

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) conservation team and park staff at Pleasant Hill Lake Park held the first annual Tire Amnesty Day on October 21, 2023. This event was created as a way to help residents properly dispose of their scrap tires for free. This event is also in response to concerns of illegally dumped tires ending up in MWCD lakes or along roadways.

Braydon West tosses a tire into the shipping truck.

MWCD chose to only accept car and light passenger tires to help maximize the capacity of tires that could be accepted from the public. In total, 25,000 pounds (about the weight of a school bus) of scrap tires were collected at this successful one-day event!

Tires are stacked in a pattern to optimize space.	Braydon West and Matt Thomas loading tires.

The scrap tires collected during the event, were transported by Willig Tire Recycling LLC in Galion, Ohio to their state-of-the-art facility to be reused and recycled. The scrap tires get a second life as they transform into new products such as rubber mulch, curbs, ballistic rubber, acoustic tiles, gym mats, and tire derived fuel (TDF) to generate heat and electricity. The recycling center’s mission, along with MWCD, is to provide solutions for a more sustainable future. By creating this partnership, MWCD can continue to promote healthier and more environmentally responsible events that have positive impacts on the communities within the district. MWCD’s Conservation Department will be hosting other tire amnesty events in 2024.