October 17th, 2012

On October 13th, Asheville Greenworks held the first annual Tire Amnesty Day in the Sears parking lot (at the Asheville Mall) where all those pesky tires lying around the garage, the yard, or perhaps even a local creek, could be recycled. Thanks to Buncombe County Residents, we managed to recycle over 300 tires to to be refurbished into carpeting, shoes, and other tires, which were lovingly "laced" by our volunteers into the trailer sponsored by Jan Davis Tire Store.

     Volunteers from Asheville GreenWorks, along side Davidson College and Next Step Recovery, pitched in some muscle to pack the trailer (seen below) and the Asheville Bag Monster was sighted on the premises (shh; it's a secret that the bag monster moonlights as a clean & green volunteer) at Sears.

     This year alone, Asheville Greenworks has pulled over 1200 tires from our local rivers and streams, all of which we send to be recycled. This event was a huge step forward for Asheville, because every tire we recycle now, keeps our environment clean later. What it comes down to is local initiative, and this past Saturday, it was locals who made the difference.

     We'd like to send a special thanks to Jerry Mears, the Buncombe County Landfill manager, for being such a greater supporter. Additionally, we'd like to thank Richard Grant, the Manufacturing Executive of Asheville's Public Works, for putting in the sweat and time with such good cheer. And of course, a huge thanks to Jan Davis for sponsoring the trailer!

     Of course, we couldn't have done it without all of our sponsors; these businesses and individuals help us afford to keep our environment clean and green. They include:

Jan Davis Tire, Girls at Play, Sign-a-rama (who also wrapped the Asheville Greenworks Truck; we love these guys!), Sears, Buncombe County Solid Waste (who lets us recycle all of our mud-stricken tires, free of charge), Claxton Law Firm, Nantahala Outdoor Center, and Blue Ridge Bio-Fuels.