Illinois EPA to Clean up Tire Dumps in Chicago and Harvey

CHICAGO – The Illinois EPA today begins to remove tens of thousands of waste tires from sites in Chicago and Harvey. The Agency wants the removals to be completed before warmer weather brings the mosquito season along with the diseases they carry.  

The Illinois EPA is using funds from its Used Tire Cleanup Program to remove and properly dispose of waste tires first from the 2500 block of West Grand in Chicago.  When that removal action is completed, they will move to another waste tire accumulation near 83^rd and Vincennes in Chicago.  At that point, the contractor will remove and properly dispose of a large accumulation of waste tires in Harvey near 159^th and Center St.      

Illinois EPA expects each cleanup to take about several days, depending on weather conditions.

“The random and thoughtless dumping of waste tires not only puts the public at risk, it harms property values and affects the quality of life of the citizens who live near them,” said Illinois EPA Interim Director Lisa Bonnett. 

These removal actions are being conducted using monies from the Used Tire Management Fund.  The Illinois EPA is conducting a limited number of waste tire removal actions in Environmental Justice areas where because of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, income, age, or gender exposure to greater environmental impact may exist or happen.  It is also working with these units of local government to curtail the chronic illegal dumping activities occurring in these communities through enhanced patrolling, community education/action, surveillance and enforcement.

In addition, the Agency is stepping up its enforcement against chronic waste tire dumpers and other open dumping violators.  House Bill 2001, which recently passed the Illinois House of Representatives and is now under consideration by the Senate, increases the penalties for this type of violation from a misdemeanor to a felony.  

The Environmental Protection Act currently allows state and local law enforcement to issue citations of up to $1500 for each violation, including causing or allowing water accumulation in used or waste tires, failure by a tire retailer to collect the tire user fee from retail tire customers, failure by a tire retailer to file a quarterly tax return with the Illinois Department of Revenue (also a Class 4 Felony), and transporting used tires without a valid Illinois EPA registration and vehicle placard. 

The Illinois EPA's used/waste tire removal program began in 1990. It is funded by a $2.50 per tire user fee that consumers pay when purchasing tires at retail. Used tires are among the few products having a "closed loop” recycling program.  Used tires are collected by tire dealers and are passed along to tire recyclers or processors. Some tires are retreaded and reused; others are recycled into a variety of products and uses; but most are shredded into a high-energy fuel supplement known as tire-derived fuel (TDF) and are burned in power plants, industrial boilers or cement kilns for energy recovery.