ASHLAND — The third-annual farm tire collection event didn’t scrounge up as many tires as years passed, but the Ashland County Solid Waste District director is still pleased.
“We’re cleaning up the county,” said Jim Skora. “That’s what we want.”
The farm tire collection event has gathered roughly 9,300 tires from tractors and other large farm implements since the yearly event launched in 2022.
On Tuesday — under the oppressive heat — farmers from around the county brought a total of 1,536 of the rubber rings. It took eight semi-tractor truckloads to transport them all to a recycling center in Crawford County.
Skora said 61 farms participated in the event, and nearly half were new farms that haven’t participated in 2022 and 2023.
This year, county officials increased the fees per tire, based on type. Disposing a tire this year cost farmers anywhere from $2 to $10 apiece. In years prior, the fee sat at $1 per tire, regardless of size.
The fee hike happened in order to offset cost, Skora said. The solid waste district received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2022 and again in 2023.
“They don’t like us being part of the frequent flyer program,” Skora said of the EPA. So he and commissioners agreed to increase the fees and to seek an $8,000 grant from the Ashland County Health Department.
Between the $6,800 collected from tires this year, and the $8,000 grant — that just about covers half of the anticipated bill for this year’s event, Skora said. (He expects it to cost around $31,000.)
The other half of the event will be covered by the solid waste district’s operational budget of around $380,000, Skora said.
Still have scrap tires?
The farm tire collection event happens once a year, but Ashland County residents can dispose of smaller tires year-round through the county’s scrap tire program.
Residents must obtain a voucher from one of five sites across the county. They are:
- Ashland County Health Department: 1211 Claremont Ave. (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Ashland County Commissioners office: 110 Cottage St., 2nd Floor (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Loudonville Village Hall: 156 N. Water St. (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Madco Market (Formerly Polk Market): 401 N. Main St. (Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m to 8 p.m.)
- Sullivan Market: 246 State Route 58 (Sunday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Jeromesville Market: 6 South High St. (Sunday-Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Vouchers will specify where to deliver the tires.