Regional District wants your old, ‘retired’ tires

Gather up any old, unused tires stacked up around your property and recycle them for free. In the process, you’ll rid your home of some prime mosquito breeding habitat.

Once again, the Regional District of Central Okanagan and Tire Stewardship B.C. have teamed up to provide a one-stop tire drop-off event for any old vehicle tires with or without rims.

The tire gathering will take place Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Okanagan College’s parking lot No. 17 (off Campus West Road) in Kelowna at 1000 KLO Road.

“This is the second year that we and our mosquito program contractor, Duka Environment, are working with Tire Stewardship B.C. on this free old tire collection event,” RDCO Communications Officer Bruce Smith said in a press release. “Just a small amount of water inside old tires sitting around your property provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquito larvae. By dropping off any unwanted tires, you’ll remove opportunities for mosquitoes to reproduce around your home.”

Tire Stewardship B.C. is a not-for-profit society that manages B.C.’s tire recycling program. Eco fees paid by consumers purchasing tires are used to pay for transporting and recycling scrap tires in environmentally responsible ways rather than having them take up space in landfills. For information on programs offered by Tire Stewardship BC visit www.tsbc.ca.

There are excellent resources available to help you and your family during the mosquito season. Visit the Mosquito Control page on the Regional District website regionaldistrict.com/mosquitoes for information about the program.