By Sacramento Business Journal

A tire recycling grant program by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has made several grants in the Sacramento region.

Out of $7.5 million to be sent to local agencies, four of the 83 agencies selected are in the region.

“By promoting and developing markets for waste tires, we stimulate the state’s economy while helping to conserve natural resources and protect the environment,” CalRecycle acting director Mark Leary said in a statement.

According to CalRecycle, California generates more than 40 million waste tires each year, and 11 million end up in landfills or illegally dumped. The agency estimates 2.1 million tires will be kept from landfills by using them in the grant programs.

Funding comes from the $1.75 recycling fee charged for each new tire sold in California. CalRecycle gets $1 of that money, and the rest is used for tire-related emission programs.

Cities, counties, special districts, American Indian tribes, schools and universities are eligible to apply for grants that include using products made from waste tires.

In Sacramento County, three parks districts will receive money to make improvements with recycled rubber. Arden Manor Recreation and Park District received $104,352 and will replace wood chips with rubber bark. The North Highlands Recreation and Park District got $24,120 to install rubber safety surfaces. The Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District received $149,223 for installing rubber park at five highly used playgrounds.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District was awarded $91,434 for a multi-use synthetic field at South Lake Tahoe High School. It will replace a grass field and save water.