MOUNDS MAYOR CONFIDENT WITH NEW TIRE RECYCLING FIRM

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Marguerite B. Ward has faith in the latest efforts to rid the city of more than seven million pounds of tires that are stacked on property owned by ADM-GrowMark company here.

"I think that James Sheible will get the job done," said Ward, mayor of this small Southern Illinois community, located about seven miles north of Cairo.

Sheible and his firm, Ecology Enterprises, Inc., is waiting for delivery of two tire shredders, said Ward.

"I'm confident that we'll be getting rid of the tires within a year," said Ward. "The tires have been here more than three years now. Another year shouldn't matter."

The tires began accumulating on the property about three years ago when the property was being leased as a possible tire recycling facility.

"We had high hopes of obtaining a tire recycling center here," said Ward. "A local man was talking with companies from Chicago and Texas about obtaining tire shredders."

Ward said the operation would have created up to 100 jobs and had the capacity to produce several tons of crumb rubber a day.

"All that didn't materialize but the tires did," said Ward. "They're stored everywhere on the ADM-GrowMark property. Several sheds on the property are filled with tires, and you can see tires stacked for a half-mile outside the sheds."

Last year, the city contacted Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), of Decatur, Ill., to remove the tires.

"We asked Archer Daniels Midland Co. to remove the tires because of a possible health problem," said Ward. "We were assured the tires would be removed. They're still there."

Richard E. Burket of ADM told the Southeast Missourian in July 1991 that efforts would be made to start removal of the tires.

"We talked to a lot of people since we learned of the tires' existence," he said. "Our intent is to get the tires off our property."

David Patton of Grand Chain has attended several of the meetings concerning the tires.

"We've offered to help the Mounds Council in any efforts to dispose of the tires," said Patton, of the Pulaski-Alexander County Farm Bureau in Mounds. "Our concerns area two-fold mosquitoes and fire hazards."

Patton said Saturday he is still concerned.

"The new company there has cleaned up the place," said Patton. "The tires have been moved around leaving pathways between them. But, it's still in violation of the Illinois EPA."

Patton said the shredding of the tires was supposed to be under way by April or May, but "no shredder is in evidence yet."

Meanwhile, a new law went into effect in Illinois this month that will provide funds to help prevent future situations like that at Mounds.

Tire retailers started collecting the new Tire User Fee for the Illinois Department of Revenue July 1 at the rate of $1 per tire.

Money generated from the fee will, in part, go to researching and developing new technologies for the recycling of discarded tires, said Douglas L. Whitley, Illinois revenue director.