Bernalillo County gets $100K state grant to fight tire dumping
Bernalillo County has received a $100,000 state grant to continue efforts to curb illegal tire dumping, with the money earmarked for community outreach, events and public information campaigns. The funds come from the New Mexico Environment Department’s Resource Recovery Bureau through its Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) Grant.
Resource Recovery Bureau Outreach Section Manager Levi Lementino said the campaign will focus on helping residents understand proper tire disposal. “Make sure that people are leaving their tires at the right facility or making sure it’s getting to the right place or understanding that there are regulations when it comes to managing tires, transporting tires, or disposing of tires,” Lementino said.
The grant will fund a public information campaign covering safe disposal methods, the environmental impacts of improper tire disposal and existing programs such as tire amnesty events, where community members can drop off tires free of charge. “To continue to provide this robust tire amnesty event that we’ve been doing by allowing and securing more funds for future events,” said Estevan Barela, a Bernalillo County Planning and Development program coordinator.
According to the county, 123 tons of illegally dumped tires were found in March between two sites around the West Mesa. The county said most of the tires are from semi trucks and are difficult to move or cut because they contain metal.
Lementino pointed to additional environmental concerns with discarded tires. “With the new knowledge that there are PFAs in tires,” Lementino said. “So not only are there chemical components within tires that are not great for the environment, it’s also a harborage ground for mosquitoes and other pests. There’s no places in New Mexico that will process, shred the, and use them for raw material. That has to be sent to either Texas City in Texas or Phoenix, Arizona.”
The grant will also fund education about single-use plastic bags and containers at retailers, with the county encouraging businesses to offer reusable bags, recyclable containers and cardboard options.
Bernalillo County holds tire amnesty events throughout the year at various locations every other weekend, allowing residents to drop off up to nine tires per vehicle for free.
