Melody Tuschel, Monroe County Recycling Coordinator and Outreach, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the importance of recycling.
A second Tire Amnesty day will be held this Saturday and a third one is scheduled for next Saturday.
Tuschel said, “Monroe County is partnering with the Department of Environmental Protection to provide amnesty for Monroe County residents. They can bring in six passenger tires, no larger than 20 inches off the rims, free of charge with proof of residency. This is for any Monroe County resident. So this would include even residents of the city of Key West, Marathon, Layton and even the villages of Islamorada. Just so long as the resident is within the Monroe County boundaries. So again, they’re able to surrender six passenger tires trying to keep them from being put in the mangroves or just sitting around and being breeding grounds for mosquitoes which we’re battling right now.”
It can take about 2000 years for a tire to decompose even in a landfill.
Tuschel said, “The tires that we’re collecting during these events will be recycled. So we’re hauling these up to American Tire Recycling in Miami, where they’ll be broken down into granules, rubber mesh granules, and they’re used for repurposing asphalt or road services, playgrounds, athletic fields and even landscape applications.”
What is needed for proof of residency?
Tuschel said, “It can be a utility bill, their driver’s license, anything that shows that they do reside here within Monroe County. Those events are going to be held this Saturday, April 27, nine to three and then again, on Saturday, May 4, nine to three at all the Monroe County transfer stations. So those are located Cudjoe Key is located at mile marker 21.5 on Blimp Road, Long Key Transfer Station is mile marker 68 on the Overseas Highway. And then Key Largo transfer station is 11180 County Road 905.”
You will need to put the tires into a container.
Tuschel explained, “These are roll off containers, meaning they’re basically an open dumpster, and they do have a door. So the tires don’t have to be hurdled over into the dumpster, they can be simply rolled into the container. But if they still need assistance, maybe removing them from their vehicle, please just give me a call and I’ll make sure that there’s someone at that transfer station to assist them.”
This is the first time something like this has been done with the county.
Tuschel said, “We were doing some research to see what other options are for tire disposals and DEP had posted that they were offering this partnership with the municipalities and counties within Florida. So we hopped on board, get some information and applied for it, and we were granted the collaboration.”
Last Saturday was the first time tires were collected.
Tuschel said, “We had I believe just under 90 tires collected last Saturday. Just from the response I’ve received by email and phone calls, I think we’ll have a better attendance this Saturday. So we’re looking forward to that.”
For more information, call 305-509-0325.