Record 10,000 Tires Collected in Last Weekend’s Drop-Off Events

Senator Ritchie’s Effort is Cleaning Up Roadsides, Protecting Public 

More than 10,000 waste tires were removed from area backyards and roadsides during last weekend’s free disposal events sponsored by Senator Patty Ritchie in Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties.

It’s the most ever collected during the one-day events, made possible through special State Budget funding secured by Senator Ritchie. Over three years, Senator Ritchie’s efforts have resulted in the removal of more than 30,000 waste tires from area communities.

“Waste tires along roadsides and in backyards are not only unsightly, they can be a cause for spreading disease because mosquitoes love to breed in the standing water that collects inside them,” Senator Richie said. “With proper disposal, we are cleaning up our roadsides and communities, protecting the environment and preventing disease.”

Eliminating mosquito breeding areas is especially helpful in the fight against EEE, or Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which has killed a number of horses and farm animals in Northern and Central New York the area in recent years, and resulted in five human deaths—all of them in Oswego and Onondaga Counties.

“It takes a team effort to protect the public health, improve the environment and beautify our region,” said Senator Ritchie.  “I’d like to thank the Solid Waste teams in Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties, as well as the many people who participated in these waste tire disposal events. Working together, we’ve cleaned up our counties and potentially saved lives by reducing the risk of deadly diseases, like EEE.”

Last weekend’s collection events were held in seven locations in Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties. In Ogdensburg and Gouverneur, waste tires filled nine full-size containers, and weighed nearly 40 tons. Nearly 6,000 tires were collected in Oswego County.

During the free drop-off events, the usual disposal fees—up to $15 per tire in some cases—were  waived for county residents.

Senator Ritchie will host one more round of free waste tire disposal events in Oswego County on August 15^th.  Events are currently being planned for Jefferson County.