Politics & Government

Discarded Tires Pollute, Provide Home for Mosquitoes

Sometimes people don't know what to do with their old tires, or don't care. Do you know of any tire piles in Marlborough? There is someone you can call.

Perhaps the most defining image of pollution over the years has been one of a pile of old tires sitting down by the once-clean river. We've all seen them. Sometimes stacks sit on property, or they are tossed down an embankment, destined to rest there until the end of time.

You may not be aware that the (CMMCP), which has its headquarters in neighboring Northborough, is making efforts to clean up discarded tires.

Not only do these tires pollute the environment and look ugly, they are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Thousands of them.

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"Used tire casings left out in the environment and allowed to hold water provide suitable areas for larval mosquito development, including those species known to carry West Nile virus," reads the CMMCP website. "During the course of one season, the potential exists for hundreds or even thousands of mosquitoes to emerge from just one tire. If tires infested with mosquito eggs, larvae or pupae are transported, the potential to introduce mosquito species into new areas and/or the potential for the spread of arboviruses and their transmission may increase significantly."

According to Tim DesChamps, executive director of the CMMCP, many tire piles are found at abandoned building sites and empty lots, as well as secluded areas.

Find out what's happening in Marlboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Marlborough has two identified locations that are known to have abandoned tire piles. 

A map of areas that have discarded tires reveals that Marlborough has significantly fewer sites than many neighboring towns, including Hudson which appears to have more than a dozen sites. Though some of this database is revised and has since been cleaned, it shows that there there is at least one site in West Marlborough that remains untreated for these large mosquito breeding grounds.

The CMMCP schedules pickups with the city for road and river cleanups and hazardous waste days, but also will take calls from residents to add cleanup spots to its database. A pickup time is scheduled with the caller. Only passenger car and light truck tires, off-rim, are accepted.

"When we schedule a pickup, we call them in advance for them to bring it out to the curb," said Deschamps.

To report any abandoned used tires, or to schedule a pickup, visit here.

The CMMCP kicked off this program on Earth Day of 2010, and to date has recycled more than 6,000 tires, which is more than 60 tons.

"Many of these tires piles have been around for years," said Deschamps. "The Ashland site on our website had more than 1,200 tires that I can say, from my own experience, have been there more than 30 years."

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