SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has granted Pinellas County, Florida a $2.25 million grant for the removal of marine trash under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The award funds will be utilized to clean up trash tires that have been turned into artificial reefs in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
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In the 1970s and 1980s, the County began constructing artificial reefs out of used tires. However, the County discontinued this practice in the early 1990s after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) determined that these tires were environmentally hazardous. It should be mentioned that the state of Florida has recently banned the use of tires for artificial reefs.
Surveys will be conducted to ascertain the current locations of these tires as part of the project's preparatory phase, which is anticipated to start next year. It will also determine the most effective ways to remove these tires. By 2027, the entire cleanup project should be finished. The Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility within the County's Solid Waste Disposal Complex will process the recovered tires.
The proposed clean up effort is not expected to impact the general public, a County press release said.