The Union County Health Department is hosting a free tire collection day Saturday, Oct. 17.
The event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at the Richwood Fairgrounds, 1 Gill Street. Tires will be accepted until the trucks are full or until 3 p.m., whichever comes first.
There is limited space and tires will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Director of Environmental Health at UCHD Marcia Dreiseidel said the event is part of the health department’s disease prevention efforts.
“Scrap tires can collect water and become a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes,” she said. “We hope this fall tire clean-up can help residents reduce the mosquito populations around their homes.”
Any Union County resident may bring tires for disposal to the event. It is intended for personal disposal of unwanted tires, not for commercial businesses.
Only passenger tires including car, SUV, truck and van tires will be accepted. No tractor, semi-truck or other large tires are permitted.
All tires must be off-rim.
Ohio law states no more than 10 scrap tires can be transported by an individual without a special license.
For that reason, residents may bring as many loads of 10 tires each as they would like to until the trucks are full.
The tire collection is free for all county residents thanks to a partnership between UCHD and the Richwood Fair Board, which donated use of the fairgrounds.
The health department is using grant funds awarded by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s mosquito control grant.
Mosquitoes are known to carry diseases like West Nile Virus and La Cross encephalitis, which can be spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.
In addition to using bug spray and avoiding peak biting hours like dawn and dusk, eliminating standing water around your home is one of the best ways to prevent mosquito bites.
“When we reduce mosquito populations, we reduce the chances for them to spread disease,” Dreiseidel said.
A second tire collection event in Marysville may be provided later in the month. If the event is possible, more details will be shared by UCHD.