The Montezuma County landfill is applying for a program to recycle tires for use as a waste cover.

The landfill is seeking a permit from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment to shred tires for the purpose.

“The idea is to clean up tires in the community and recycle them for local use,” said landfill manager Mel Jarmon. “It is in the initial planning and permit application stages.”

Currently, the landfill relies on dirt mined on-site for its daily cover. The required capping stabilizes the compacted daily garbage and prevents it from blowing away.

If approved, stockpiled tires would be put through a rented shredder that costs $25,000 per month. The shredded material would be stored and used for the daily cap.

Dolores County and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe have expressed interest in sending their tires over and could share in the costs of the shredder.

The landfill charges to dispose of tires, then loads them on a semitrailer. It ships out about two semitrailers per year to a disposal site. Jarmon said the landfill will break even on its tire program.

The landfill also is waiting on a permit to use a hydro mulching spray as a daily cap.

“Using these alternative cap options would save us time and labor, and save our dirt reserves,” Jarmon said.

According to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, over 81% of waste tires were recycled in the United States in 2017.

Tire-derived fuel accounted for 43% of recycled tires. More than 25% was used as ground rubber, and almost 8% were used in civil engineering.