Del-Nat donates tree, money for more tree plantings

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Nov. 14, 2013) — Del-Nat Tire Corp. recently donated a tree and a check for $832 to the Memphis City Beautiful Commission (MCBC).

The tire dealer cooperative's action completes the initial part of its "Tires for Trees" program, which Del-Nat launched earlier this year.

The tree, a 14-foot sugar maple, was planted at the edge of Overton Park's new Rainbow Lake Playground during a tree-planting ceremony.

Also during the ceremony, Del-Nat presented MCBC with a check that included $1 for each of the 832 used and discarded tires collected last spring by a team of 34 volunteers—consisting of Del-Nat employees, family members and friends—from an abandoned area in South Memphis. The money will be used to plant more trees in locations selected by MCBC.

"The tree planting brings our initial effort to fruition," said Jim Mayfield, president of Del-Nat. "Our 'Tires for Trees' program is a perfect way for Del-Nat to contribute to our community—helping to beautify our city and remove a health hazard in a blighted area. Disposing of discarded tires eliminates places where mosquitoes breed.

"You could say we're completing the cycle, from delivering new tires to properly disposing of used ones. We're pleased with what has been accomplished thus far and plan to build on what we've started."

The cleanup was done with the cooperation of MCBC, the Shelby County government and Shelby County Waste Tire Recycling Center. Collected tires were recycled by Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling, one of the largest tire recyclers in the U.S.

Earlier this year, Del-Nat was honored by Recycle Solutions for its recycling efforts, including helping save the equivalent of 221 trees, 55 cubic yards of landfill space and 91,000 gallons of water through a program to recycle office and warehouse waste at its facility in South Memphis in 2012.

The information was provided in an annual sustainability report from Recycle Solutions, which stated Del-Nat's recycling program has kept more than 75 percent of potential waste out of local landfills.