Wyandotte Official: Burning Tires is 'Better Alternative' to Burning Just Coal

Wyandotte was recently featured in an article in the Detroit Free Press highlighting Michigan municipalities that burn tires to create electricity for residents.

Residents who live in towns with tire-burning power plants have challenged municipalities because of pollution concerns, according to the Detroit Free Press.

However, Wyandotte's Acting General Manager Rod Lesko told Patch he had not heard of any complaints regarding the burning of tire derived fuel (TDF).

"Most of the complaints that I can recall had to do with odors that have been emitted do to the occasional coal pile fire," Lesko said. "We are actually looking to modify our process so that our coal pile is not so large to reduce the likelihood of a spontaneous combustion coal fire."

Lesko added that burning tires is a better alternative to burning 100 percent coal--both economically and environmentally. 

One concern mentioned in the Free Press article is that scientists have said that government standards are too low and power plant equipment is inefficient.

Lesko said, while burning any type of fuel will create pollutants, in comparison to coal, the TDF helps keep our emissions well within federal guide lines with a little extra leeway. 

"The major plus side is that the tires that we consume are not going to a landfill," Lesko said.