Westmoreland tire cleanup targets West Nile virus; volunteers needed

Volunteers are needed to help with a special discount tire recycling event set for Saturday, April 9 at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling.

Conducted through a partnership with the Westmoreland Conservation District’s West Nile virus program, the event is intended to help clean up scrap tires that can collect standing water if left outside and serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The mosquitoes can transmit the virus.

All types of tires will be accepted during the event, set for 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Cleanways recycling center, 355 Pleasant Unity Mutual Road, in Unity. Tires will be eligible for a $1 discount from the normal recycling fees.

Normal off-rim fees per tire are: $4 for car and light truck tires; $15 for tractor-trailer tires; and $80 for tires from highway and construction vehicles, farm tractors or other agricultural vehicles.

For tires still on the rim, there are additional per-tire fees of $1 for car and light truck tires and $3 for tractor-trailer tires.

Discounts normally offered to business customers or Westmoreland Cleanways members won’t apply during the special collection.

There will be no charge during the event for groups collecting illegally dumped tires if they notify Westmoreland Cleanways before Tuesday.

Anyone who plans to drop off a large number of tires also is asked to provide advance notice at 724-879-4020.

A similar tire collection held last year amassed 800 tires.

It was a “great success” for the local West Nile control program, according to the Conservation District, but it involved “a lot of work for limited staff.”

That’s why volunteers are being sought to help with this year’s tire drop-off. Volunteers should be 18 or older and be able to lift between 25 and 50 pounds.

Volunteers can register for the event and get more details by emailing chelseag@wcdpa.com by Wednesday.

According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, there were nine confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Pennsylvania last year, including one case in Allegheny County. Other cases were reported in Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Philadelphia and York counties.

Testing detected 133 mosquito samples infected with the virus in Allegheny County and three infected samples in Westmoreland County. There were no human cases found in Westmoreland.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. It causes symptoms such as fever in about one in five people infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 1 in 150 infected people develop serious illness, which can be fatal.

Visit westmorelandcleanways.org for more information about the organization’s recycling efforts.