Trashed tires in East Norwich woods rounded up, rolled downhill by volunteer cleanup crew
Volunteers hauled out hundreds of tires strewed in the woods off Route 106 in East Norwich on Saturday morning, and officials said a camera would be installed to deter dumpers from using the site to illegally ditch trash.
Local businesses donated equipment, including dumpsters and an excavator, and residents and members of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District spent Saturday moving the tires into massive piles down a steep incline off the side of the road. Then, attached to a rope latched to a truck, bundles of the tires were dragged to the edge of the roadway, where an excavator operator lifted them into waiting dumpsters.
Mitch Kramer, 60, a nearby resident who organized the effort, said the tires came to his attention a couple years ago, but couldn’t find anyone to take care of the trash.
“That’s when me and my neighbors said, ‘We’re going to do this,’ ” Kramer said.
Kramer spoke with local businesses, the school district and the Town of Oyster Bay to make the cleanup come together. The town is forgoing its limit and accepting all the tires, he said.
“It’s nice that the community came together,” Kramer said as he drove the truck that pulled the tires up the steep incline off Route 106, near Locust Avenue. “It’s getting taken care of.”
A state Department of Environmental Conservation officer oversaw the effort and helped round up the tires, and the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department closed off a section of the roadway for the work.
The debris is on property donated to the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District in the 1950s, said Francesco Ianni, superintendent of the district.
He said he felt it was important the district do its part for the community,
“It’s not just what we teach in school: the math, science — those are important things, but it’s also important to maintain the community, maintain the environment,” Ianni said.
Mike Respoli, 55, the head custodian in the district’s high school, was among the group who was about 15 feet below the roadway getting the tires — some filled with murky water — ready to be removed.
“We made two major piles, and we’re roping them up,” Respoli said. “And we’re getting some of the garbage out of here while we’re at it.”
He estimated about 500 tires were taken from the wooded area.
Brian Nevin, an Oyster Bay spokesman, said the town took in three truck loads of tires totaling nearly six tons.
School officials said the district paid about $200 for a camera meant to deter future dumping.
Volunteers hauled out hundreds of tires strewed in the woods off Route 106 in East Norwich on Saturday morning, and officials said a camera would be installed to deter dumpers from using the site to illegally ditch trash.
Local businesses donated equipment, including dumpsters and an excavator, and residents and members of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District spent Saturday moving the tires into massive piles down a steep incline off the side of the road. Then, attached to a rope latched to a truck, bundles of the tires were dragged to the edge of the roadway, where an excavator operator lifted them into waiting dumpsters.
Mitch Kramer, 60, a nearby resident who organized the effort, said the tires came to his attention a couple years ago, but couldn’t find anyone to take care of the trash.
“That’s when me and my neighbors said, ‘We’re going to do this,’ ” Kramer said.
Kramer spoke with local businesses, the school district and the Town of Oyster Bay to make the cleanup come together. The town is forgoing its limit and accepting all the tires, he said.
“It’s nice that the community came together,” Kramer said as he drove the truck that pulled the tires up the steep incline off Route 106, near Locust Avenue. “It’s getting taken care of.”
A state Department of Environmental Conservation officer oversaw the effort and helped round up the tires, and the Muttontown-Upper Brookville Police Department closed off a section of the roadway for the work.
The debris is on property donated to the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District in the 1950s, said Francesco Ianni, superintendent of the district.
“It’s not just what we teach in school: the math, science — those are important things, but it’s also important to maintain the community, maintain the environment,” Ianni said.
Mike Respoli, 55, the head custodian in the district’s high school, was among the group who was about 15 feet below the roadway getting the tires — some filled with murky water — ready to be removed.
“We made two major piles, and we’re roping them up,” Respoli said. “And we’re getting some of the garbage out of here while we’re at it.”
He estimated about 500 tires were taken from the wooded area.
Brian Nevin, an Oyster Bay spokesman, said the town took in three truck loads of tires totaling nearly six tons.
School officials said the district paid about $200 for a camera meant to deter future dumping.
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