Marilyn Boxwell
Part of the annual winterizing program carried out by car owners generally involves the switch to a different set of tires to make sure we can remain safe on the roads.
The question then follows: what can we do with our old or unwanted tires that we don’t wish to see abandoned alongside ditches, randomly piled up in one’s backyard or dumped within the local landfill facility?
Several years ago in response to similar concerns, a non-profit initiative entitled the Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) recycling program came into being. The program’s goal is to collect an advance disposal fee, generally referred to as “eco-fee,” stemming from the sale of every new tire sold.
These fees are then used to cover the costs of transporting and recycling B.C. generated scrap tires, ensuring that these tires are disposed of within an environmentally responsible venue as an alternative to them ending up dumped within undesirable locations.
A number of innovative products are then made from the recycled crumb rubber. These range from creating playground surfaces, landscaping mulch, colourful and resilient flooring commonly applied within recreational facilities and also one’s home or business premises.
The Tire Stewardship program has proved to be highly successful in our province, partially due to the commitment by registered local businesses that offer a free automobile, recreational and industrial use tire drop-off service that is open to the public.
Drop-off venues located within Nakusp and area include Crescent Bay Construction Ltd., 1002 Highway six (near Brouse), call (250) 265-3747. A second location is at Kal Tire (situated across from the public library in downtown Nakusp).
For more information, call (250) 265-4155.
