STAMFORD, Conn. (Oct. 24, 2006) — This year's Great American Cleanup campaign collected more than 2.5 million scrap tires and 118,000 car batteries – 21- and 131-percent increases over 2005 – during its three-month run earlier this year, according to participant Bridgestone/Firestone (BFS).
The Nashville, Tenn.-based tire maker said its Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus retail outlets accepted used motor oil and donated the use of wood chippers to turn debris into mulch. This year was the fifth that BFS had been involved in the effort.
“Not only did the men and women of Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus help collect a record number of stray tires, they also improved the quality of life in their own communities by taking an active role in the Great American Cleanup,” said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful, a volunteer-based community action and education nonprofit.
Keep America Beautiful works with national sponsors and local community-based organizations during the Great American Cleanup to conduct 30,000 events in 15,000 communities, emphasizing “reduce, reuse, recycle" programs,