GloCo Declares March As Tire Amnesty Month, Announces Scrap Tire Collection

SOUTH HARRISON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, over six million tires are disposed of each year in New Jersey. Many of those tires end up spending years in backyards and empty lots which can become a health concern to the community.

“Each tire in a yard, if improperly stored, can become a breeding ground for thousands of mosquitoes which can carry life-threatening diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus and various forms of encephalitis,” the US EPA has stated.

To help reduce the number of scrap tires in neighborhoods, Gloucester County officials have declared the month of March to be Tire Amnesty Month and the Solid Waste Complex will be accepting free tire drop-off throughout the month.

“Discarded and forgotten tires can fill with standing water creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can carry viruses such as the West Nile and Zika,” Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said in a press release. “By collecting tires from residents, we are able to properly discard them and reduce these diseases from being able to gain traction.”

Residents can bring their tires to the Gloucester County Solid Waste Complex at 493 Monroeville Rd. (Route 694) in South Harrison Township, March 2 through March 31, Monday – Friday 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. and during an event on Saturday, March 14 from 8:00 A.M. to noon.

There is a limit of 15 tires per residence, according to the county. Nothing over a passenger pick-up truck tire size will be accepted. The program is for Gloucester County residents only. No commercial businesses will be accepted.

Residents who need directions or have more than 25 tires please contact the GCIA/Office of Recycling at (856) 478-6045 or visit www.gcianj.com.

Correction: An earlier version of this article claimed that the limit of tires per residence was higher, this has been corrected.

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