EGLE supporting scrap tire drop off in Calumet

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) is spending nearly $675,000 to fund scrap tire collections across the state, including one site in the Copper Country. Calumet Township will receive $2,150, which is in addition to $50,000 being spent on a UP-wide effort through the Superior Watershed Partnership.

EGLE says, “Improperly dumped, scrap tires pose a fire hazard and create mosquito breeding grounds.” Mosquitoes carry several diseases, including West Nile Virus. The potentially lethal infection has been found in birds locally on occasion and is thought responsible for dozens of deaths across Michigan. A vast majority of those have been in the Lower Peninsula.

EGLE also highlights some alternative uses for the rubber. “Recycled scrap tires can be used in asphalt to pave roads, as mulch in gardens and playgrounds, and in manufacturing processes.”