Alabama Tire Processing Center To Open In Early 2013

A tire processing plant being built by the Coffee County (AL) Solid Waste Authority will open in early 2013 after some changes were made to the plant’s design.

According to Rod Morgan, county administrator and the president of the Coffee County Solid Waste Authority, discussions with a private-sector company revealed some “modifications” to the plant’s operational design that would improve the plant’s effectiveness.

Mars Mineral

County officials sought to implement the changes, and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) approved the modifications. ADEM is reimbursing the county for all costs associated with the plant’s construction and must approve all budgeting items.

Morgan said the changes have not forced the budget past the original $5.8 million ADEM set aside for the project.

The changes have delayed the plant’s opening. When the project first started in June, officials hoped to have the plant functioning by late October or early November. Now, the project should be finished “sometime after the first of the year,” Morgan said.

The county has advertised two jobs related to the plant opening – a manager and a maintenance technician. Morgan said three to four positions will be created by the processor’s opening.

When operational, the plant will shred whole scrap tires into smaller pieces that can be re-used in the production of several products, including construction aggregate, asphalt and fuels. The tire shredding plant will also separate, collect and recycle all of the tire wire removed from the scrap tires during processing.

© Scrap Tire News, January 2013