NTB Supports State Park Recycled Playground Effort
18 August 1998
NTB National Tire and Battery Supports State Park Recycled Playground Effort
Private-Public Partnership Serves the Community, the Environment
and the State Youth Employment Project
BALTIMORE, Aug. 18 -- An army of local teens, together with
Gov. Parris N. Glendening and volunteers from NTB National Tire and Battery,
stormed Patapsco Valley State Park today to clean and revamp the park's scrap
tire playground with more than 20 tons of recycled crumb rubber. In total,
NTB donated 60 tons of crumb rubber to refurbish three of Maryland's State
Park scrap tire playgrounds, including those in nearby Calvert Cliffs and
Cunningham Falls.
The event was part of an NTB initiative known as R.O.T.A.T.E. -- Recycling
Old Tires Aids The Environment -- designed to clear communities across the
country of discarded scrap tires and provide recycled rubber products for
community enhancement. The automotive parts retailer partnered with several
state agencies -- the Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources and
Juvenile Justice as well as Maryland Environmental Service -- to bring
R.O.T.A.T.E. to Maryland. The R.O.T.A.T.E. program also provided work gloves,
donated by Wells Lamont, hats and T-shirts to youths enrolled in the Summer
Youth Employment Project. The recycled crumb rubber was provided by the
Emanuel Tire Company in Baltimore.
"While recycling scrap tires is the purpose of this project, its most
important assets are the character building lessons learned about hard work,
dependability and teamwork," Gov. Glendening told the youth volunteers at the
event.
More than 5 million scrap tires are generated in Maryland each year,
according to the state's Department of the Environment, while more than
700 million tires remain in stockpiles throughout the country. The illegally
stockpiled scrap tires pose serious health and environmental threats. They
become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests and create hazardous
emission problems if burned in open air.
"Every time NTB sells a new tire, it means an old tire must be discarded,"
said David Bruzzese, NTB Baltimore region district manager. "By encouraging
the use of scrap tires in the community, we are changing the negative into a
positive. We want to ensure that the old tires we replace are properly
disposed of and, whenever possible, become a useful commodity."
According to the Scrap Tire Management Council, Americans discarded an
estimated 266 million scrap tires in 1996. That's nearly one scrap tire per
person in the United States.
In addition to playgrounds, widespread applications of recycled rubber
throughout the United States include: ramps for the disabled, running tracks,
horse tracks, bike paths, roofing compounds, driveway sealants, truck bed
liners, mail box posts, computer mouse pads, car parts, cow mats and hockey
targets.
"Through initiatives such as R.O.T.A.T.E., we hope to educate others about
the many uses for recycled scrap tires," Bruzzese said. "Ultimately, we want
recycling rubber to become as common as recycling paper, plastic or aluminum."
"This partnership is an exciting opportunity for the state," said Jane T.
Nishida, Secretary for the Department of the Environment. "In recent years,
Maryland's Summer Youth Employment Program has been involved in area cleanups
and in building playgrounds from recycled rubber materials."
"NTB is a perfect partner, adding an important component to the effort by
replenishing surface material at our existing recycled playgrounds," she
added.
About NTB National Tire & Battery
The NTB National Tire & Battery division of Sears, Roebuck and Co. was
launched in March 1997 when Sears announced that it was converting its 150
Tire America and 125 National Tire Warehouse (NTW) stores into one format,
NTB. Throughout the summer, all 275 stores were converted to NTB and many new
stores opened as well. NTB plans to open 70 new stores in 1998. All NTB
stores carry national brand name and private label tires and custom wheels.
Stores also sell batteries and related starting and charging accessories,
including DieHard, the nation's most preferred battery. NTB stores offer
ride-control services including brakes, shocks, struts, alignments and front-
end repairs.
About the Maryland Department of the Environment
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) works with Maryland
citizens, local governments, the business community and environmental groups
to achieve the State's environmental goals while fostering economic
development, safe communities and environmental education. MDE's primary
mission is to protect and restore the quality of Maryland's air, water and
land resources.
About Maryland Environmental Service
Organized as both a state agency and a non-profit corporation, Maryland
Environmental Service (MES) operates state facilities such as water and
wastewater treatment plants, landfills, transfer stations and recycling
centers. It manages state-mandated environmental protection programs such as
oil, antifreeze, tire recycling and environmental dredging projects. MES also
provides engineering, operations, maintenance and administrative services to
private and local government bodies as well as to towns and cities, developers
and trailer parks, regional authorities and public utilities.
About the Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the management and wise
use of Maryland's living and natural resources including the Chesapeake Bay
and its tributaries. DNR inspires citizens to enjoy and live in harmony with
their environment. DNR also manages Maryland's state parks and the Maryland
Conservation Corps (MCC), which supplies crews for the clean up and renovation
of the playground. MCC is composed of two parts. The first is a year-round
program offers job training, education and service to the community for ages
17-25. The second is MCC's summer jobs component, for ages 14-19, which
offers environmental education through outdoor conservation projects. In the
last two years, MCC crews have removed more than 250,000 tires from dump sites
and public lands across the state.
About the Department of Juvenile Justice
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) develops and implements programs
to ensure public safety, hold juveniles accountable for their conduct and
foster character building skills in the youth it serves. DJJ conducts early
intervention and prevention programs as well as a series of graduated
sanctions such as restitution, intensive supervision, electronic monitoring
and community services, programs and residential commitments. These are all
part of a Balanced and Restorative Justice approach to juvenile crime that the
Governor and Lieutenant Governor are implementing to make a safer Maryland.
The NTB R.O.T.A.T.E./MDE Summer Youth Employment Project is one of many
community service projects DJJ youth are engaged in around the state that help
to build character, develop responsibility, make restitution and rehabilitate
through work with community revitalization efforts.