BEATRICE – A planned two-day Tire Amnesty event may turn into a one-day project, judging by its popularity.
"I heard someone was here, last night. Otherwise, four a.m., five a.m.....they were here. I pulled up at seven, and it was lined up all the way through the fairgrounds."


Ashley Hawks, the Executive Director of Keep Beatrice Beautiful, says the partnership with the City of Beatrice uses a Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy grant to conduct the tire recycling event…..similar to several others in past years.


"There's been quite a few big farm trucks coming in. Mostly car tires, but we've had semi tires, tractor tires...probably a big thousand pound tire come in, too."


The recycling event is for Gage County residents, only.  "It's just crazy to look at this big pile of tires out here and think that they've just been lying around Gage County. It's just amazing, how many tires."


The grant was designed to collect 200 tons, but Hawks says a couple days ago, officials received approval for up to 300 tons.  "I was able to call the department and see if they had any extra funds, and they did...just because we would be meeting our max, pretty quickly with that."


In just the first few hours, the amount of tires brought in was approaching 200 tons. Hawks estimated the collection will not go into a second day, at the rate tires were being brought to the site.  Hawks says the tires will be hauled off and recycled.


"With our grant, we have to put in three bids for different companies that take tires and either recycle them or whatnot. Butler County Landfill got our bid, so they'll come and haul all the tires back to their landfill, shred them...and use them for flooring, outdoor flooring....around their landfill...or other uses, like that."


The tires will be hauled off quickly, since tires sitting around can collect water and become breeding ground for mosquitoes.