arded tires tend to collect water and organic debris. Such a microenvironment creates an optimal breeding habitat for four of the United States' most important disease-carrying mosquitoes. In fact, epidemiological studies have correlated several fatal epidemics to the existence of scrap-tire stockpiles (3:1217). By creating an optimum environment for these organisms, the tire accumulations artificially enlarge certain localities' mosquito populations. This then leads to increases in the prevalence of mosquito-borne disease (3:1218).
Used tire accumulations are not only hazardous, they are also wasteful. Essentially, a tire may be thought of as a rather large "mass of highly engineered petrochemicals, steel belts, and nylon filament (5:28)." These components actually represent a valuable resource. According to Anne Evans, president of the New England Association of Independent Tire Dealers, "Every bit of material should be used to its fullest extent. A tire in its first life is a tire. It needs to be used for something further. Th
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