Five Alabama State Parks have received playground and landscaping improvements with funding support from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The ADEM funding was made possible through the Alabama Scrap Tire Fund and the ADEM Scrap Tire Marketing program which develops and assists demonstration projects to highlight the use of recycled tire materials. Annually Alabama generates approximately 5 million scrap tires, with an additional 4 million imported from other states, according to a press release from ADEM. More than 7 million of those tires are reused each year through various applications and projects such as the Alabama State Parks playground improvements.
The $84,439 in funding was used to purchase recycled tire mulch and supplies for playground and landscaping improvements at Roland Cooper, Joe Wheeler, DeSoto, Lake Guntersville, and Buck's Pocket state parks. The individual parks provided the labor to complete the projects. Since 2003, a $1 fee has been collected on the purchase of each replacement tire purchased in Alabama.
“Using recycled tires as landscaping material is both environmentally friendly and cost effective,” said Tim Wishum, acting co-director of Alabama State Parks.
According to ADEM, programs like this help keep the tires out of landfills and illegal dumping sites as well as provide an effective and affordable alternative to traditional materials such as organic mulch.
More information about ADEM’s Scrap Tire Program is available online.
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