A lot of people in Bell County are pitching in to help keep the county clean.
That was the message from Doug Hoskins with the Bell County Solid Waste and Recycling Center Wednesday as the 2020 Kentucky Waste Tire Management Program was about to get underway.
“This is a community effort. We’re spearheading it, but it’s a group effort,” Hoskins said. He explained that the program utilizes not only the staff of the recycling center, but also inmate labor from the Bell County Detention Center, along with assistance from Bell County Fiscal Court and road superintendent Wade Hoskins, Middlesboro Mayor Rick Nelson and the city’s street department and more. Green Hills Cemetery also donated a tent for workers to sit under during the event.
Hoskins said the three-day event is a chance for citizens to help beautify the community.
“This is a once every three year program. I wish it was done annually, but that’s the way the state has it scheduled. It’s a state-sponsored activity, and it’s free to everyone except tire dealers, who have been paid a disposal fee for tires they exchange. It’s for John Doe Citizen who has three or four tires left over in his yard, or a renter who moved out and left them behind for his landlord,” he said.
The event was originally scheduled to take place earlier this year, but due to COVID-19, was pushed back. Hoskins said tires accepted will include semi-truck tires, agricultural tires, and passenger car tires. Many tires have been received prior to the official start of the event, and Hoskins said more than 7,000 tires were already collected as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We will take any tire with a bead not in excess of 1 3/4 inches. Also, solid tires, foam-filled tires and construction-type equipment we cannot take,” he said.
The event will take place through the weekend. Hours will be 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday. Tires should be taken to 900 N. 15th Street in Middlesboro.
For more information call 606-337-7035.