BATON ROUGE — The state is offering money to local governments to help tackle illegally dumped waste tires.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is now accepting applications for its Waste Tire Pilot Program. It offers up to $20,000 per recipient in funding for tire-related cleanup, enforcement and prevention initiatives to address what LDEQ says is a widespread problem across the state.
Examples include:
- Equipment purchases to support cleanup or prevention of illegal dumping;
- Overtime or labor costs for parish or municipal staff handling collection or enforcement;
- Site-specific cleanup of newly discovered illegal tire dump locations; and
- Installation of barriers, signage or fencing to prevent future dumping.
LDEQ developed the program following a series of regional town halls the agency hosted last year to gain insights from local officials and residents across the state on how to address illegal tire dumping.
“This program reflects our commitment to practical, collaborative solutions for Louisiana’s environmental challenges,” LDEQ Secretary Courtney Burdette said in a news release. “We are proud to provide our local partners with tools that will help clean up communities, protect our environment and enhance public health in a meaningful way.”
Funding for the initiative comes from fees the state collects from companies that dispose and recycle waste tires.
To be considered for the Waste Tire Pilot Program, municipalities and parishes must submit a proposal by July 18 outlining how the funds would be used to address unauthorized waste tire disposal in their jurisdiction. Proposals can be emailed to Lewis.Donlon@la.gov or mailed to:
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313. Attn: Dutch Donlon
For questions or more information, call (225) 219-3388.
Editor’s Note: The following article from author Wes Muller was originally published by the Louisiana Illuminator, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians.
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