State Representative Anthony DeVitis (R-Green) has announced that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention has awarded $20,000 to Portage County Solid Waste District to assist in the cleanup of scrap tires within the area.

“I’m very grateful that the Portage County Solid Waste District received this grant,” Rep. DeVitis said. “These funds were well-deserved and will facilitate quick recycling of scrap tires for a new and useful purpose.”

The different types of projects that may be included in this project are manufacturing and processing, civil engineering, and tire amnesty. According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 70 percent of Ohio’s scrap tires are recycled and may be recycled into such products as tire chips for rubber surfacing on outdoor tracks, tire chips for playgrounds and mulch, or shredded for use as a substitute for gravel in landfill drainage systems.

Applicants for the grants were required to be an agency of the state, such as a municipality, state college or university, park district, township, county or solid waste management district. In total, ODNR awarded $1.1 million to 28 different projects around Ohio.