GREENSBURG — Many bulky waste pick-ups, one-day special collections and recycling drop off facilities were cancelled or closed this spring due to COVID-19.

As a result, tires that would have been brought in by local residents for recycling, instead have been laying around, potentially collecting water.

Scrap tires provide a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus. According to Ohio State, over the course of one breeding season, thousands of mosquitoes can be generated from just one water-filled tire. (West Nile Virus and Scrap Tires, Ohioline)

In Pennsylvania, with the first probable case of West Nile Virus detected in a Potter County resident, it is smart to limit exposure to mosquitoes by reducing the opportunity for water to collect and become stagnant.

Residents are urged to store tires indoors, where they cannot collect water until they can be taken to a one-day tire collection event or permanent drop off site.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, its affiliates and partners worked through the pandemic to determine the safest way to continue to offer special collections to Pennsylvania residents. Event coordinators are following all local, state and federal guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.