 Asheville NC, October 2nd 2013 – Asheville GreenWorks, a local volunteer-based environmental organization, is partnering with Biltmore Iron & Metal Company and the Town of Woodfin to cleanup the largest tire dump in Western North Carolina. The 3 acre river front lot to be cleaned up contains an estimated 25,000 to 40,000 tires. The site, 1420 Riverside Drive, was home to an auto salvage business since the 1950's and a significant polluter of the French Broad River. The lot is completely covered in trash and tires and an eyesore for everyone who travels Riverside Drive or paddles the French Broad. This concentration of tires contains many thousands of gallons of stagnated water and the area has become an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and vermin that can harbor many harmful diseases.  Biltmore Iron & Metal Company (BIMCO) will be responsible for doing the heavy lifting on the cleanup. Family owned and operated since 1949, BIMCO has the equipment and experience needed for such a large undertaking. Jonah Cloninger - Vice President BIMCO explains “Biltmore Iron & Metal Company has a history of responsible recycling of metals and other materials. We’re looking forward to helping the community with this much needed cleanup.”  Local environmental group Asheville GreenWorks with its many volunteers will be monitoring the cleanups’ impact on the French Broad River through careful management of run off, river bank restoration and removing tires from the river. Eric Bradford – Volunteer Coordinator Asheville GreenWorks says “I’ve seen this pile of tires and trash grow over the years. Each time I paddle this section of the French Broad I collect a few more wayward tires from the river. Working for an organization like Asheville GreenWorks that personifies environmental stewardship, gave me the support I needed to spearhead this cleanup with our partners.” The Board of Alderman of the Town of Woodfin is facilitating this cleanup through the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR). NCDENR is funding this cleanup through the tire disposal fee collection. This $2.00 fee is charged when all new tires are sold in North Carolina. The proceeds from these sales are distributed to each county to pay for collection, cleanup and recycling of tires. Jason Young, Town of Woodfin Town Administrator, stated “The Alderman are deeply committed to cleaning up the French Broad River and improving the Town of Woodfin’s health and appearance. This cleanup will go a long way to do just that.” Tires recovered on this property will be properly recycled into new products. Asheville GreenWorks is a local volunteer based, environmental non-profit organization dedicated to keeping Asheville and Buncombe County clean and green. It is supported by private donations as well as grants from the City of Asheville and Buncombe County.
For more information or if you would like to volunteer on site and help GreenWorks make history with this cleanup, please contact Eric Bradford, volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org or Sarah Oram, Director (828) 254-1776 or email: sarah@ashevillegreenworks.org. Comments are closed.
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