The Tire and Appliance Collection Comes to an End

After the collection event in Patton on Saturday, May 20th, things spring’s tire and appliance collection event ends. This spring, the conservation district led a collected in Cambria Township, Croyle Township, Stoneycreek Township, and Patton Borough. There were 3,472 tires collected this year as well as multiple dumpsters full of appliances. 159 appliances that contained freon were collected as well as 121 appliances without freon.

The reason these events are hosted is to prevent these tires and appliances from littering landfills, waterways, and the sides of roads. Many people that came to discard of old tires found them tossed into their property by people who didn’t want to properly dispose of the tires. While there is a small fee for items, this fee is used for the processing of the items. Items that may have freon in them needs to have the freon safely removed to be able to recycle those appliances.

Freon is a coolant, so it will cool things off. It’s used in refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and anything along those lines. The reason it needs to be properly disposed of is because it can be very dangerous. It is highly flammable and it can also harm the ozone layer. To prevent freon from causing damage, it needs to be properly removed and disposed of by a trained professional.

The tires collected are also recycled and put to good use. While the tires can’t be reused as tires, many are chopped up to be used as robber mulch in playgrounds where kids can enjoy the outdoors with less risk of getting hurt. As rubber doesn’t break down, the mulch also lasts much longer than traditional mulch, allowing for less, maintenance of the parks and playgrounds.

These collection events happen spring and fall every year all over Cambria County. Keep an eye out for the fall ones coming up next to dispose of your unwanted tires and appliances.