SWANN, the Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska, is holding Tire Amnesty Days today and tomorrow from 8:00 to 5:00 at its Chadron transfer station at the east end of East Niobrara Street.
Executive Director Jake Stewart says SWANN received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy to accept up to 175 tons of used tires.
Each non-commercial SWANN customer can bring in up to 20 car and light truck tires, 20 truck/trailer tires, and 10 large ag or equipment tires without charge – a total of 50 per customer. All tires must be off their rims.
Under the terms of the grant, Amnesty Days ends as soon as the 175 ton total is reached, so every load of tires coming in will be weighed. Stewart says that will create a bottleneck, so he’s asking customers to wait until after tomorrow for normal drop-offs.
Stewart says the 4-in, 4-out pace also means that the line in the past has at times stretched all the way down East Niobrara to Main Street, so he recommends patience.
Stewart thinks the process of dropping off tires should take a half-hour or less – depending on demand at any given time. Again, the hours are 8-5:00 both today and tomorrow – or until the 175-ton limit is reached.
He also reminds those planning to bring in tires that each SWANN customer is responsible for bringing in just their own tires and not those of anyone else.
Stewart says it’s a way to help make sure all the requirements of the grant are met, that tires are coming from only SWANN members, and that no one exceeds the tire limits by having someone else bring in some of theirs