BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Illegal tire dumping has become a growing issue over the past year near the Route 66 Visitor Center on Albuquerque’s West Mesa. Thousands of tires have been dumped illegally over the past year across two sites, something Bernalillo County said has consequences. “We have waterways that go through here. The arroyo, once there is water flowing through, if there are chemicals that have seeped into the ground from any of the illegal dumping, from the tires themselves, or anything like that, it can get pulled into those waterways,” said Martina Rivera, Education Program Coordinator for Bernalillo County Solid Waste.
According to Bernalillo County, this site alone has an estimated 68 tons of illegally dumped tires, while the other site has an estimated 55 tons. The county said most of the tires are from semi trucks, which can’t be easily moved or cut since they’re made with metal. But now, the county said they’re tackling the issue, thanks to a new tire cutter.
The county said that last year, they applied for the Recycling and Illegal Dumping grant from the state and were awarded $95,000 for the machine and associated costs. This week, they began using the cutter to clean up the two sites. “I guess it’s just exciting to see that it’s finally moving, so it’s come full circle from the time that we were first reviewing the sites, now seeing the work being done,” said Rivera…