A major project to recycle used tire stockpiles on Prince Edward Island has been completed.
Since the Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC) was created, used tires have been collected, stored and shipped off Island for recycling and disposal. However, a significant stockpile of used tires remained from the period prior to the creation of IWMC. These older stockpiles were baled and housed at the former Sleepy Hollow Landfill and at the East Prince Waste Management Facility in Wellington. Approximately 10,000 bales of used tires were housed at these sites.
In the fall of 2007, IWMC received special funding from the province and issued an Request for Proposal (RFP) for the removal and final disposal of the used tire inventories on Prince Edward Island. The contract was awarded to have the tires transported off Island to a facility where they were recycled. The two-year program of having all these tires removed from the province was completed this week with the final load being shipped.
“These used tires can be recycled into many other useful products like ‘crumb’ that is used for footing in sports fields and playgrounds,” said Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron MacKinley. “This investment by the province helps address an outstanding environmental concern and helps create new recycled products for future use.”
“The presence of these used tire stockpiles have been an ongoing issue in our community and I am pleased to see that the Province has taken action to address that concern,” said West Royalty-Springvale MLA Bush Dumville.