Put a red flag on your calendar for Flag Day, Monday, June 14th Flag Day.  If you’ve got some old tires taking up space around your place, you can get rid of them for free at the Athens Township Offices.  Tires fill up with water and are a great place for mosquitos to go forth and multiply.  According to the EPA, the design of tires provides an ideal nursery for mosquito larvae. Tires fill with water after a rainstorm and retain the water as some of the inside areas of the tires are shaded continuously, preventing evaporation of the trapped water. Tires are somewhat insulated and retain heat for long periods that speed up mosquito egg hatching and larval growth. They also collect leaf litter and debris that provides nutrition for the larvae.

It’s a win-win for everybody, except for the mosquitos.    The EPA states that more than 1.3 million pounds of tires are recycled each year by chopping them into high-grade rubber nuggets. Some are reincorporated in the manufacture of new tires while others are converted into a urethane binder to make sidewalks, playground surfaces, and basketball courts. Roads in some areas are resurfaced using tire chips for backfill and insulation, giving asphalt both springiness and longer life. In New Hampshire, Timberland is putting tires back on the road in boots and shoes with soles made of recycled rubber. And as of 2009, 40% of scrap tires are used in energy generation due to their high BTU content.

Here’s what you need to know for the June 14th Scrap Tire Recycling Event:

  • Monday, June 14: Scrap Tire Collection
  • Athens Township Offices
  • 130 E. Burr Oak St., Athens
  • Noon to 5 p.m.
  • Residential Passenger Vehicle Tires – 10 tire limit.
  • No oversized or commercial tires, including tractor tires.
  • Drop off is only allowed starting at noon.
  • The event may end early if the semi-trailer fills before 5 p.m.

After June 14th, the next big Calhoun County recycling event will allow you to get rid of old tires, as well as anything with a power cord, and also scrap metal.

Here’s what you need to know about the June 26th Recycling Event:

  • Saturday, June 26: Electronics, Scrap Metal, and Scrap Tires Collection
  • Ketchum Field
  • 1203 E. North St., Albion
  • 9 a.m. – Noon
  • Electronics – computers, computer equipment, laptops, LCD monitors, CRT monitors, printers, wires and cords, computer peripherals, copy/fax machines, audiovisual equipment, plasma televisions, LCD televisions, tube televisions, game consoles, stereo equipment, lamps, small kitchen appliances/electronics, car batteries, household batteries, and other items with a cord.
  • Scrap Metal – no refrigerant is accepted and the County will not have removal capability available. We will accept washers, dryers, ranges, metal furniture, metal fence, and bikes.
  • Residential Passenger Vehicle Tires – 10 tire limit. No oversized or commercial tires, including tractor tires, will be accepted, and drop-off is not allowed before 9:00 am. The event may end early if the semi-trailer fills before Noon.

Other upcoming event dates:

  • Monday, August 9: Scrap Tire Collection, 537 N. Church St., Tekonsha from Noon to 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 25: Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection, County Building, Marshall from 9 a.m. to Noon
  • Saturday, October 23: HHW Collection, Toeller Building, Battle Creek from 9 a.m. to Noon

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