“It’s a big issue,” said Code Enforcement Officer Sasha James. “We see tires everywhere. Everywhere you drive, it seems like on every corner we find tires.”
James, along with volunteers from Pick It Up! Possum Town, are looking to put a dent in Columbus’ epidemic of unwanted rubber. This Saturday they are asking for volunteers to come out as part of an event called Tired of Tires to help pick up old, unwanted tires.
Volunteers can help in several ways, according to Pick It Up! Possum Town co-chair Doug Kilarski.
“First, you can pledge your eyeballs by reporting dumped tires to Code Enforcement,” Kilarski said. “They will assign volunteers or city employees to come pick them up Saturday. Or you can pledge your arms and legs and come out and help load tires to be taken to WastePro for disposal.”
Kilarski said in-person volunteers should plan on being at the Columbus Fire and Rescue public education office at 1601 Main St. — which is in the strip mall adjacent to the Municipal Complex — at about 7:45 a.m.
Those volunteers — assisted by city workers — will fan out into each ward and load cast-off tires into pickup trucks and trailers, Kilarski said. The tires will be taken to WastePro for disposal.
While Public Works does not typically pick up tires, several city crews will help with the event Saturday, James said.
“We’re giving citizens this one-time opportunity to have them picked up,” James said. “(City workers) won’t go on private property, but they can be set out in the right-of-way.”
Volunteers with their own trucks can pick up tires themselves and drop them off at WastePro, located at 1600 12th Ave. S., Kilarski said.
Tires will be accepted for free, as long as the volunteer has ID proving they live in the city.
In fact, James said people can drop off old tires at WastePro for free any time, not just during Saturday’s event.
“Anybody who lives in the city of Columbus can drop off up to 30 tires per household per month at WastePro for free,” James said.
That offer is only good for private citizens, James said, and does not apply to commercial entities. People who drop off tires should bring identification proving their residency.
Part of the purpose of Saturday’s event is to publicize that fact, Mayor Keith Gaskin said.
“People are certainly dumping tires illegally, but there are also cases where people just don’t know what to do with them,” Gaskin said. “It’s a very frustrating problem, and we want to make sure people have the knowledge of where to take tires.”
James said the city doesn’t keep statistics on how many reports of abandoned tires it receives, but it is something she sees frequently all over the city.
Kilarski, who has been working on cleanup events for several years within the city, said tires are commonly dumped at the old car wash on Waterworks Road, as well as along access roads to cell phone towers.
See any tires? Code Enforcement would love to hear about it. Contact James at (662) 245-5063 or Code Enforcement Assistant Veronica Stewart at (662) 245-5070.
Dispose of tires free any time
■ WHO: Private individuals who are residents of Columbus
■ WHERE: WastePro, 1600 12th Ave. S.
■ WHEN: Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
■ HOW MANY: Up to 30 tires per household per month
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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