Beautifying Georgia - One Tire at a Time
- Roadway/roadside
- Other
Innovation
Georgia's highways are littered with discarded scraps from blown-out tires and tires dumped illegally due to people trying to avoid paying the tire disposal fee.
As part of a department-wide effort to improve cost efficiency of scrap rubber disposal, storage and recycling, Georgia DOT developed a public-private partnership with five other organizations. Industry partners supplied storage trailers and tire dumps were cleaned in Northwest Georgia. Mohawk Industries created a rubber mat design that is made from the recycled tire material supplied from Liberty Tire. The mats are now sold in all the Home Depot stores across the state. A percentage from the sale of each mat goes to fund the Solid Waste Trust Fund to clean more sites in the future.
Partners in this initiative include:
- Department of Natural Resources
- Mohawk Industries
- Home Depot
- Liberty Tire
- Keeping Georgia Beautiful
Benefit and Implementation
Prior to establishing the Beautifying Georgia Tire program, Georgia DOT Districts 1, 6 and 7 generated over 305 tons of scrap rubber in 2011, which costs $103 per ton to dispose of at approximately $39,700 annually in taxpayer funds. Illegal tire dumping was also a costly issue. Previously there were 400 reported illegal dumps in Georgia with 1.5 to 2 million tires. Cleaning costs ranged from $2 to $10 per tire and the dumps devalued land and increased the mosquito population. The cleanup effort included removing tire debris from roadways then storing for recycling in DOT Districts 1, 6 and 7. Industry partners supplied trailers and tire dumps were cleaned in Northwest Georgia. Mohawk Industries created a rubber mat design that is made from the recycled tires, and the mats are now sold in all the Home Depot stores across the state. The design advertises the fact that the mats were made out of tires recycled out of roadways and tire dumps in Georgia. A percentage from the sale of each mat goes to fund the Solid Waste Trust Fund to clean more sites in the future.
Benefits:
- Tremendous cost savings to Georgia DOT
- Elimination of illegal tire dumps
- Proceeds benefit Solid Waste Trust Fund
