Pinellas County collects 1,082 used tires during free collection event

Image Caption: Staff loading tires onto a front loader during the tire collection event on April 19.

On April 19, Pinellas County Solid Waste and Public Works teamed up to host a free tire collection event. Residents could bring up to 12 rimless tires to one of three convenient and free locations throughout the county.

This event was part of an ongoing effort to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses. Waste tires left in the environment collect water where mosquitoes breed. One scrap tire can lead to the breeding of thousands of mosquitoes over a single season.

During the event, 1,082 tires were collected! These tires were kept out of the environment, preventing potential mosquito breeding.

Residents who couldn’t make it to the event can find year-round disposal options for tires by visiting Pinellas.gov/where.

The collected tires were treated for mosquitoes and transported to Pinellas County’s Solid Waste Disposal Complex to be processed in the Waste-to-Energy facility. There, the metals from the tires will be recovered and recycled.

Questions?

For questions about mosquitoes, contact Mosquito Control at (727) 464-7503 or mosquitocontrol@pinellas.gov.

For questions about tire disposal, contact Solid Waste at (727) 464-7500 or recycle@pinellas.gov.