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For Immediate Release
January 2, 2002
White Announces
Butler County Waste Tire Recycling Grant
Harrisburg – Thousands of old tires
will be recycled for new use in Butler County with the help of a state grant,
Sen. Mary Jo White (R-21) announced today.
White said the $60,000 grant will be
used by the Butler County Parks and Recreation Department to recycle 18 tons of
waste tires for use as playground safety surface.
"Waste tires present a number of
environmental, health and safety hazards to the public and represent a serious
public nuisance," said White, who chairs the Senate Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee. "With this grant, Butler County will take
what could have been an unsightly health threat and put it
to good use preventing bumps and bruises at local
playgrounds."
About 12 million scrap tires are
generated each year in Pennsylvania, about one per person, and approximately 16
million scrap tires remain in large stockpiles scattered throughout the state,
White said.
Tire piles have the potential to create
environmental and health hazards for residents in neighboring communities.
Rainwater accumulates in tire piles creating an ideal environment for
mosquitoes, which are known to transmit disease to humans. Another hazard is
the tendency for tire piles to catch fire.
The Waste Tire Recycling Act provides for grant
programs, tax credits, and enforcement/penalty provisions to reduce the waste
tires that are stockpiled and generated annually in Pennsylvania. More than 20
million tires have been cleaned up over the past four years.
In addition to playground surfaces, scrap tire rubber can be used to
make crumb-rubber modified asphalt, which is used to pave highways. It can also
be used to retread tires, create athletic surfaces, and serve as fuel in cement
kilns, power generation and the paper/pulp industry.
CONTACT:
Leigh
Ramsey (717) 787-9684
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