House lawmakers approved on Tuesday a bill that aims to shut down Colorado's tire landfills, the largest in the nation.
The state is home to roughly 60 million scrap tires, many located at a site northeast of Denver or just south of Colorado Springs.
The bill also provides more money to clean up illegal tire dumps and establish a system for recycling the waste. The legislation would shut down tire landfills and end a state subsidy for recyclers.
“We’ve got more waste tires than anywhere else in the country,” Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood) says. “We need to find a way to recycle them.”
Critics say the changes will result in more tires being dumped illegally.
The legislation now goes to the Gov. John Hickenlooper who has indicated he will sign the legislation.
