Featured News

Palmyra getting tired of tires

Highway Department removes 8 tons of tires last week from dump spots off town roads

Hundreds of tires were dropped off the bank of Vault Road in Palmyra. Town Highway crews removed 8 tons of tires costing the Town $1300 on Wednesday

In the world of the unscrupulous tire recycler, 8 tons of tires heaved over the side of an embankment nets a good profit. For the taxpayers of Palmyra and other surrounding towns, the resulting clean-up and legitimate disposal of the old, unwanted tires is a costly procedure.

Last Wednesday, armed with two drotts, trucks and two man crews for each, the Palmyra Highway Department began a clean-up of an embankment on Vault Road and other nearby roadside dump sites. By the time Palmyra Highway Superintendent Mike Boessel's crews were done, over 8 tons of tires had been retrieved off town roadsides. The five full dump truck loads cost taxpayers $1300 to dispose of properly, not including the time and machinery cost of the crews.

On Thursday night, Boessel alerted the Town Board of the clean-up and subsequent, unexpected cost. The tires were taken to Alpco Recycling on Route 31F in Macedon, where the Town was charged a discounted price of 8¢ per pound. In turn, Alpco pays a Buffalo recycling firm, specializing in grinding the tires down for use in landfill liners and driveway fillers.

Boessel said he could have, perhaps, saved some of the recycling cost by transporting the tires directly to Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca County , but the added cost of transporting the materials would probably offset any savings in such a move.

According to Ken Halloran from Ken's Auto Repair on Canandaigua Road in Macedon Center , he keeps detailed records of tire and used oil transfers to legitimate recyclers. Ken said he deals with Webster Recapping and gets charged $2.25 per tire. “I have used other companies in the past, but I suspected they were not legitimate and stopped doing business with them,” said Halloran.

Boessel said the tire dumps along the sides of South Townline , Foss, Jagger and Vault Roads are the latest rash of illegal dumpings that plague the town. “I've called the Sheriff's office a couple of times, especially where they dump 50 to 100 tires at a time,” said Boessel. He admits there is little that could be done unless someone spots the late night dumpers.

The Times has agreed to post a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of bulk tire dumpers in Palmyra , or any other Wayne County town. If anyone spots someone illegally disposing of tires on area highways, they can call 911, or the Times at (315) 986-4300.