Long Beach Gets Grant to Help Reuse Dumped Tires

Long Beach was among numerous California agencies awarded more than $1.7 million in grants from the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to collect dumped tires and deposit them where they can be reused.

The department announced Wednesday the distribution of grants to collect illegally discarded tires and take them to state-certified collection facilities as part of the Local Government Waste Tire Cleanup Program. According to CalRecycle, tires can be recycled into rubberized asphalt concrete for paving roads, drainage material for retaining walls and landslide- prone embankments, landscape mulch and playground surfaces.

``These grants are important weapons as communities fight to reduce the blight and environmental hazards caused by illegal tire dumping,'' said CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen. ``Waste tires are a useful resource when managed properly, and we are dedicated to seeing that as many of them as possible are available for the recycling market.''

Long Beach received $47,951 while Los Angeles County received $140,000 and the city of Los Angeles received $99,993. Additionally, $100,000 went to the city of Lancaster. Among the other agencies receiving funds were Riverside County, which received $95,897; San Diego County, which was given $73,605; and the city of San Diego, which received $98,842.

Funded by revenue from a fee on each new tire sold in the state, the Local Government Waste Tire Cleanup Grant Program offers grants to cities, counties, local agencies and qualifying Indian tribes for the collection, removal, transport and end use or disposal of illegally dumped tires, according to CalRecycle. Grant funds can only be used for tire removal along public rights of way and on private property with either fewer than 500 tires on site or 500 to 5,000 tires if the property owner signs an affidavit stating they did not bring or allow the tires on site. According to CalRecycle, Californians generated 40.8 million waste tires in 2011.

Nancy Wride and City News Service contributed to this report.