KEEP PA BEAUTIFUL: Since its inception in 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and its affiliates and partners have properly disposed of over one-million scrap tires.

“Reaching this significant milestone took three decades and countless volunteer hours. Our volunteers collected tires during special collection events, stream cleanups, Illegal dump cleanups and Pick Up Pennsylvania events. A lot of hard, dirty work went into moving that many tires. We couldn’t be more proud and grateful,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

The tires were collected from Pennsylvania’s roads, waterways, parks, trails and remote areas during locally coordinated cleanups or collected at one-day recycling events and permanent drop-off locations.

Tires collected were either recycled and processed into rubber mulch, play turf, rubber asphalt roads and other items or shredded and landfilled.

Although it’s illegal to dump them, the PA Department of Environmental Protection has documented a dozen abandoned and commercial waste tire piles across the state, with more than 10,000 waste tires.

The reasons people choose to dump tires illegally vary. Some people are unwilling or unable to pay for disposal, while others think risking a nominal fine is worth it. Some landowners will accept a fee for allowing businesses to unload tires on their property. The cost of cleaning up these historic tire piles is prohibitive for most landowners and presents a problem once the land is put on the market.

Tires that are improperly disposed leach toxic chemicals that contaminate soil and water causing serious harm to individuals, wildlife and the environment. They also provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of West Nile Virus and Zika Virus.