Local residents will have the opportunity to rid themselves and their property of old accumulated waste tires next weekend, thanks to the Waste Tire Amnesty Program. The program is in conjunction with an agreement the Division of Waste Management and the county.

The tire amnesty days in Clinton County will be held at the state highway garage on Hwy. 2063, also known as the State Garage Road, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 25, 26, and 27 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

The Waste Tire Amnesty Program administered through the Energy and Environmental Cabinet, allows funds to be used for the direct costs associated with the waste tire removal and processing as specified in the state’s contract awarded through a procurement bid process.

The agreement, spelling out the county’s obligations for administering the program locally, was signed in early February.

Tire amnesty days in the Lake Cumberland and Lincoln Trail Area Development districts were set aside between early April and early June, with designated dates for each participating county.

Clinton County shall provide a minimum of three staff during the scheduled amnesty program weekend, two of which will help unload waste tires from vehicles and/or trailers and another to greet program participants, provide direction and answer questions.

The county is also responsible for monitoring the eligibility of program participants and under terms of the agreement, “shall accept and assist in management of waste tires at the central staging area; provide traffic safety; and, where necessary, assist eligible participants in the amnesty program with the transportation of waste tires,” among several other criteria.

The Cabinet’s obligations include, but are not limited to, designating a primary contact person for the amnesty program; select a contractor to load, transport and recycle tires accumulated, require each truck to be weighed at independent certified scale and provide program training and planning in each Area Development District.

The Waste Tire Amnesty Program will accept tires on and off the rims. However, there are some types of tires that “will not” be accepted, including: foam or calcium filled tires, large off-road construction equipment tires, and solid tires with pressed-on rims.

Also, any resident is eligible to participate except tire retailers and agricultural tire retailers.

Anyone with questions or concerns should contact local Solid Waste Coordinator Tuesday Gibson at 387-5234.