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Waste Rubber Blight Under Assault

Councilwoman Cindy Circo.
Councilwoman Cindy Circo.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-895183.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. – The Kansas City Council may ask voters to decide in August whether to license the city's 600 tire dealers. The problem is thousands of discarded tires, often dumped at night.

If the ordinance passes, voters would decide whether to levy a $250 annual fee on dealers.

Lee Blumenthal, a community organizer in the Blue Hills neighborhood told the council business session the problem is not the random one to two tires sitting outside someone's home or in an alleyway--" it's the the 40 or 50 or 900 tires that are dumped in our empty lots by illegal tire haulers, hired by tire shops that may or not be following the rules in place."

Councilwoman Cindy Circo sponsors the ordinance which has now been introduced to the full City Council for consideration.

Gary Majors of the city's Regulated Industries tells of touring tire shops and learning most are not aware of state regulations dealing with discarded tires.

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