Every tire business in the unincorporated portion of Bernalillo County, N.M., will have to purchase a special machine to cut up tires, according to a new ordinance that will go into effect next year.
The new ordinance states that no person who is a scrap tire generator shall be allowed to operate a business within the unincorporated portion of Bernalillo County unless that person possesses an operational scrap tire cutter on the premises where scrap tires are generated.
According to the ordinance, tire retailer and wholesalers will be granted a scrap tire generator license that will allow a scrap tire generator to operate in the county for a period of one year. The license requires that the businesses possess a scrap tire cutter that is capable of “safely cutting any scrap tire received by any scrap tire generator into at least four pieces within one minute or less and approved by the county manager or designee.”
Scrap tire generators are also required to have a commercial refuse bin of a size and pickup frequency sufficient for the removal of the cut tires from its premises. The ordinance also states that “all scrap tires shall be placed in said bin within a reasonable time.”
Benalillo County Commissioner Art de la Cruz told KOAT-TV that the equipment is part of owning a business, and the ordinance will help to increase recycling and reduce dumping.
By local media’s estimates, the new equipment could cost upwards of $10,000.
The article will go into effect one year after final adoption by the county commission, according to official documents.
