By Terry Witt – Senior Spotlight Reporter
Levy County’s Tire Amnesty Day on April 21 was a success by anyone’s measurements with 4,664 used tires brought to the county landfill for disposal and an additional 1,447 tires removed from the Bronson Hot Chicks Farm.
The total cost of the disposal was $25,705. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection paid for the disposal through a grant program funded by the fees consumers pay when they dispose of old tires.
The cost of removing and disposing of 1,447 tires at the Hot Chicks Farm near Bronson was $13,764. The remaining $11,743 was the cost of disposing of the 4,664 tires brought to the landfill by residents.
“We did a lot of good things,” said County Commission Chairman John Meeks, who came up with the idea of a tire amnesty day. Meeks is pushing for ways to stop illegal dumping of tires and trash in private woodlands.
Meeks said he would like to do a tire amnesty day annually.
A long line of vehicles loaded to the max with old used tires was seen on the road leading to the landfill. People apparently wanted to take advantage of the free disposal offer.
Free is good.
The removal of tires from the Hot Chicks Farm was prompted an outbreak of mosquito-borne Eastern Equine Encephalitis at the farm. The Levy County Sheriff’s office reported 10 birds were dead. Eighteen had to be euthanized.
The owners of the farm had collected more than 2,000 waste tires to use on the farm, but because standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Tummond said the farm accidentally became a host site for encephalitis.
The tires had been backfilled with sand, which left room for standing water, the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Encephalitis is fatal about 90 percent of the time in horses and can infect humans.
Sheriff’s officials are urging citizens to vaccinate their animals.
It’s also a good idea to empty pots, pans, pails, tires or other objects in homeowner yards.
Some horse owners put a few drops of bleach in watering troughs to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. Don’t overdo the bleach. A little dab with do the trick.
Photo by Linda Cooper: 1st of 2 truckloads headed to the dump on tire amnesty day. All picked up within a few blocks of the Williston Highlands area.
Photo by John Meeks: Levy landfill – 10:00 a.m. A very long line of trucks, full of used and abandoned tires was the first hint of a successful project.
