By Janet Jacobs
Corsicana Daily Sun
Corsicana —
Navarro County will offer a tire disposal day on Sept. 24, but it won’t be free. In the past, the city and county have offered free tire collections just to keep the tires out of the creeks and ditches. However, the last time it was offered it cost the two governments more than $15,000.
In order to cover the costs this time, a fee of $1 per tire will be charged, with no exceptions, according to Derek Scasta, Texas AgriLife Extension Agent for Navarro County. The same charge will apply to car, truck and tractor tires, Scasta said.
In addition, the tires will only be accepted from Navarro County residents, and residents must present their drivers licenses or a photo ID to validate their addresses, Scasta said. “No commercial tire dealers or haulers will be allowed to dispose of tires. This is designed for private city and county residents,” he said.
Helping to cover some of the costs are donations from the Trinity River Authority’s Clean Rivers Program, and the Tarrant Regional Water district, both of which have a stake in keeping the waters clean in Navarro County.
People to need the tire disposal day include farmers who might have a lot of equipment and end up with dozens of tires on their property, or people who buy land and “inherit” someone else’s garbage, Scasta said.
“We also want to minimize dumping,” he said. “It’s unsightly and it’s an environmental problem.”
The cost has risen in recent years, so it’s only right to ask people using the service to pitch in to cover part of the costs, Scasta said.
“We hope it won’t turn people away. The cost ($1) is very minimal in comparison with real disposal costs per tire. We really want to encourage folks to do their part and realize this fee is minimal, but necessary to continue this program.”
“We also hope it will discourage tire haulers that were taking advantage of the program,” Scasta added.
Charging $1 per tire is a bargain since it will cost the county more than that to actually get rid of them, said Geral Nichols of Tim’s Tires in Corsicana. Tire companies typically charge customer $2 for a car tire, $7.50 and up for a truck tire, and $25 to $30 for a tractor tire, which is only slightly more than the actual cost, Nichols said.
Nichols was one of the business owners who advocated for a tire day, but he urged charging the actual cost.
“I’m 100 percent for having a tire disposal day, but it’s not right to dispose of them for free when you and I have to pay more,” Nichols said. “One dollar won’t even cover the cost. If the county already has a deficit, why are they taking on another project that will cost even more money?”
In 2009, the county collected 8,600 tires and it cost $20,500 to have them recycled. Nearly $5,000 of that was covered by a grant from the river and lake authorities.
Tires will be accepted from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Navarro County Precinct 1 barn, at the intersection of Texas Highway 31 and FM 2555 (across from the College Park Mall).
No commercial tire dealers or haulers will be allowed to dispose of their tires, and those that try will be turned away, Scasta said.
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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
