STAFF REPORT
Hays County residents can recycle old tires for free at a special event Saturday, June 18.
Tires can be dropped off at the county’s transportation department headquarters, 2171 Yarrington Road in San Marcos, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until the grant-funded collection trailer is full. The county is waiving its recycling fee for residents who drop off rimless tires used for passenger vehicles or pickup trucks. There will be a $4 per tire fee for tires with rims. Tires from commercial vehicles and businesses will not be accepted due to state regulations that commercial venues must follow.
The county’s permanent solid waste/recycling centers are also waiving the same fee during their regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays and Sundays, and will continue to do so until their grant-funded trailers are full. Take tires to 1691 Carney Lane (end of CR 278) in Wimberley or 20290 FM 150 West at CR 162 (Darden Hill Road).
“We had more than 1,200 tires dropped off in May at our most recent event – our recycling trailer was full, but people kept coming by,” said Jerry Pinnix, the county’s Recycling & Solid Waste director. “Due to the demand, and additional grant money from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality via the Capital Area Council of Governments, we are able to offer another opportunity for residents to get rid of unwanted tires.”
Pinnix pointed out that snakes, rodents and mosquitoes use tires as breeding grounds, and in landfills tires can last almost forever, while recycled tires can be shredded and reused as outdoor furniture, road and landscaping materials and other products.
For information about tire recycling and the types of tires accepted, call the County Recycling Center at 512-858-9515. More information about recycling and solid waste services provided by the County is available at www.co.hays.tx.us, click on Recycling and Solid Waste under Living & Visiting.
