Thirty-six local jurisdictions in California will receive a total of $5.7 million from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to safely manage waste and used tires. CalRecycle鈥檚 Local Government Waste Tire Enforcement Grant Program ensures cities and counties have sufficient funding to enforce compliance for managing waste and used tires, including safe hauling and storage. Typical expenditures include costs related to inspection of tire storage facilities and enforcement activities to prevent illegal dumping. Funds can also be used for surveillance equipment and employee training.
For rural counties, grant funding helps cover the cost of travel to more remote locations for inspections and enforcement. In Calaveras County, for example, many of the facilities and routine surveillance areas are more than an hour and a half from the county tire enforcement agency office. 鈥淭hese grants ensure cities and counties have the means to enforce state laws that keep local residents and their environment safe,鈥� CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline said. 鈥淏oth illegal dumping and improper storage of waste and used tires create a host of problems for people and businesses, from visual blight to significant health hazards.鈥�
Illegally stockpiled or dumped waste tires provide breeding habitats for disease-carrying mosquitos and other vectors. Waste tire piles may also result in long-burning fires that release toxins into the air, water and soil. The grants support activities to reduce threats to public health and safety or the environment. Factors considered in making these awards include the prevalence of illegal waste tire dump sites identified in jurisdictional boundaries; the number of inspections completed in previous grant cycles; and enforcement and surveillance activities conducted in previous grant cycles.
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