Tire Amnesty underway as Public Works makes up for lost time

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Over 239 tires have been collected so far this week as Gilmer is making up for its originally cancelled “Amnesty Tire” event in the spring.

According to Public Works Director Jim Smith, the Amnesty event is going on between now and October 24 as Gilmer is somewhat celebrating Earth Day in October. That’s because this event, over recent years, has historically taken place alongside events from other organizations in partnership for Earth Day.

However, due to COVID-19, many spring and summer events were cancelled this year.

This amnesty event is offering free tire disposal to Gilmer County Residents. Citizens need only bring their tires to the county landfill at Tower Road.

Tires must be clean of debris and water and non-commercial or industrial. Smith has said in Commissioner meetings that the event is only for citizens of Gilmer County and not for commercial businesses that sell them.

As citizens pull onto the location at Tower Road, they will notice a large trailer parked to one side. This is all possible through an annual “Amnesty Tire Grant” that pays the $2,600 fee to haul off the trailer of tires bound for recycling once it has been filled.

A part of wide-spread efforts across the county including the Sheriff Department’s roadside trash collections and Keep Gilmer Beautiful’s Adopt-A-Road program, the Amnesty Tire Program has become an annual event providing this service to residents. The efforts are put forth to remove garbage from roadways, ditches, and homes to maintain and care for the community’s visual beauty.

Smith has reminded citizens in these meetings that the location is only at the Tower Road location. It is not available at the county’s convenience centers in other locations.

According to Smith, the 239 tires collected were only on the first day, He added that even more were lined up Wednesday morning waiting to drop off tires. The program continues every day that the landfill is open, accepting tires through October 24, 2020.